MAJOR  GENERAL  JOHN  SULLIVAN. 


HISTORY 


SULLIVAN'S  CAMPAIGN 


AGAINST  THE   IROQUOIS; 


BEING    A    FULL    ACCOUNT   OF  THAT 


EPOCH    OF   THE    REVOLUTION. 


* 

A.    TIFFANY    NORTON. 


LIMA,  N.  Y. 

A.  T1KKANY    NORTON,    I'UKLISHKK,    RKC.'ORDKR    Oh'KlCK. 


Entered  according  lo  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1879,  by 

A.  TIFFANY   NORTON, 
in  the  office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


E.  R.  ANDREWS,  PRINTER,  ROCHESTER. 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER    I. 
The  Iroquois  Confederacy,    -  8 

CHAPTER    II. 

Outbreak  of  the  Revolution — Indian  Hostilities,  -  33 

CHAPTER    III. 
Retaliatory  Measures  Proposed,  61 

CHAPTER    IV. 

Preparations  for  the  Campaign,     -  81 

CHAPTER   V. 
General  Clinton's  Division,    -  96 

CHAPTER    VI. 
March  from  Tioga — Newtown  Battle,    -  no 

CHAPTER  VII. 
March  from  Newtown  to  Kanadesaga,  126 

CHAPTER    VIII. 
March  from  Kanadesaga  to  Kanaghsaws,      -  139 


i  v  Contents. 

CHAPTER    IX. 

Massacre  of    Hovel's  Scouting    Party,      -  150 

CHAPTER    X. 

March  to  Chinesee  Castle,  if>3 

CHAPTER    XI. 
The  Return  March,  -       169 

CHAPTER    XII. 
Unjust  Criticism  of  Sullivan,  -       186 

AHHKNDIX,     -  192 


PREFACE. 


THE  expedition  of  General  John  Sullivan  against  the  hostile 
Indian  tribes  of  the  north  was  one  of  the  most  important 
military  movements  of    the   Revolutionary  war.       Undertaken 
during  one  of  the  darkest  periods  which  the  struggling  Colonies    ( 
saw,  it  furnishes  an  example  of  devotion,   heroism  and  noble    I 
self-sacrifice  that  has  seldom  been  equalled  in  the  annals  of  i 
history.     The  daring  and  intrepid  march  has  been  not  inaptly  / 
compared  to  the  famous  expedition  of  Cortez  to  the  ancient 
halls  of  the  Montezumas,  or  that  later  brilliant  military  achieve- 
ment, Sherman's  march  to  the  sea.     In  many  respects  it  was  a 
remarkable  undertaking,  and  the  boldness  of  its  conception  was 
only  equalled  by  the  bravery  and  determination  with  which  its 
hardship  and  danger  were  met  and  its  objects  accomplished. 

Notwithstanding  the  magnitude  of  the  undertaking,  however, 
and  the  beneficent  results,  immediate  and  remote,  which  are  to 
be  attributed  to  it,  no  portion  of  the  history  of  the  Revolution 
has  received  less  attention  from  historians  than  this  expedition. 
This  fact  having  been  emphasized  by  the  approaching  centen- 
nial anniversary  of  the  campaign,  the  author  of  this  little  volume 
was  prompted  to  supply  these  missing  pages  in  our  country's 
history.  Engaged  for  some  years  in  historical  research,  there 
had  come  into  his  hands  a  collection  of  materials  relating  to 
this  campaign  of  considerable  value,  and  he  was  both  unwilling 
that  the  public  should  lose  the  benefit  of  the  knowledge  in  his 
possession,  and  convinced  that  there  was  need  of  a  work  of  this 
character.  Hence,  although  conscious  from  the  outset  that  the 
work  could  be  better  performed  by  others  abler  and  wiser  than 


vi  Preface. 

he,  the  writer  made  the  attempt  to  give  a  complete  and  accurate 
yet  entertaining  history  of  Sullivan's  campaign,  with  such  results 
as  now  appear  to  the  reader.  Believing  that  the  custom  which 
makes  so  many  prefaces  simply  vehicles  for  the  conveyance  of 
apologies  is  well  honored  in  the  breach,  the  author  will  offer  no 
other  excuse  than  this  for  adding  to  the  world's  already  large 
store  of  books. 

From  the  start  the  work  has  been  conscientiously  performed, 
without  bias  or  prejudice,  with  the  exercise  of  great  caution 
against  drawing  hasty  conclusions,  and  with  patient  toil  and 
research,  that  the  history  might  have  the  one  merit,  even  if  it 
possessed  no  other,  of  a  strict  fidelity  to  truth.  In  the  belief 
that  it  will  be  found  to  possess  this  qualification,  without  which 
it  would  be  valueless,  this  volume  is  now  presented  to  a  dis- 
criminating but  generous  public. 

While  omitting  nothing  that  would  add  interest  to  the  narra- 
tive, whatever  was  of  doubtful  authenticity  has  been  either 
rigidly  excluded  or  its  mythical  character  so  plainly  shown  that 
the  reader  will  be  in  no  danger  of  mistaking  it  for  undisputed 
fact.  In  thus  drawing  the  line  between  truth  and  error,  it  has 
been  found  necessary  to  Sweep  away  many  misty  traditions  and 
beautiful  but  delusive  legends.  Hence  the  reader  who  scans 
these  pages  for  accounts  of  buried  cannons,  exciting  tales  of 
the  driving  of  the  Indians  from  some  dizzy  precipice,  or  other 
doubtful  local  traditions,  will  be  sorely  disappointed.  Others, 
who  have  possessed  for  years  a  superficial  knowledge  of  the 
expedition,  derived  from  sturdy  pioneers  of  honest  heart  but 
treacherous  memory,  will  in  all  probability  dispute  some  of  the 
statements  made  in  this  work.  Anticipating  such  criticism,  the 
author  would  seek  to  disarm  it  in  advance  by  giving  the  sources 
of  his  information  and  the  grounds  for  his  statements.  During 
Sullivan's  campaign  in  the  Indian  country,  over  thirty  different 
army  officers,  at  least,  kept  journals,  wherein  was  daily  recorded 
the  line  of  march,  the  character  of  the  country  traversed,  the 
number  of  miles  marched,  every  important  event,  and  many 
minor  details.  These  journals  are  still  in  existence,  while  others 


Preface.  vii 

are  constantly  coming  to  light.  While  some  are  brief,  others 
enter  into  the  minutest  details  and  furnish  a  complete  epitome 
of  each  day's  events  during  the  campaign.  By  the  aid  of  these 
journals  the  author  has  been  able  to  verify  every  statement  of 
fact  by  the  concurrent  testimony  of  those  who  were  themselves 
participators  in  the  events  described.  In  addition  he  has  had 
the  aid  afforded  by  the  maps  and  data  of  the  engineers  who 
accompanied  the  army  and  chained  every  mile  of  the  distance 
from  Easton  to  the  Genesee  river,  while  letters,  official  reports, 
army  documents  and  state  papers  have  been  accessible.  In  this 
rich  field  the  gleaning  was  laborious  but  pleasant,  and  while  the 
falsity  of  many  traditions  was  exposed,  it  was  satisfactory  to 
know  that  the  accuracy  of  the  narrative  was  thus  secured. 

The  grateful  acknowledgment  of  the  author  is  due  to  the 
Rev.  David  Craft,  of  Wyalusing,  Pa.,  who  has  made  the  history 
of  this  expedition  a  special  study  for  years,  and  whose  rich 
collection  of  materials,  freely  placed  in  the  former's  hands, 
greatly  aided  him  in  his  work.  The  researches  of  General 
John  S.  Clark,  of  Auburn,  have  also  proved  of  inestimable 
value.  The  profundity  of  his  knowledge  concerning  the  his- 
tory of  the  Indian  tribes  of  New  York  is  already  well  known, 
and  the  readiness  with  which  he  has  given  the  public  the  benefit 
of  his  researches  is  worthy  of  commendation.  To  others,  whose 
name  is  legion,  who  have  greatly  aided  in  the  preparation  of  this 
work  by  the  loan  of  rare  books  and  documents,  heartfelt  thanks 
are  due.  The  readiness  with  which  such  favors  have  been  ren- 
dered, even  by  strangers  in  this  and  adjoining  states,  has  been 
proof  to  the  author  of  the  warm  and  wide-spread  interest  felt 
in  the  work  he  had  undertaken.  The  author  is  also  under 
obligations  to  Mr.  E.  E.  Doty  for  the  loan  of  the  engravings  of 
the  powder  horn,  bullet  mould,  etc.,  which  first  appeared  in  the 
pages  of  Colonel  L.  L.  Doty's  History  of  Livingston  County. 

It  is  a  fact  to  be  much  regretted  that  while  the  present  genera- 
tion devotes  much  attention  to  the  history  of  the  Old  World,  it 
has  little  acquaintance  with  that  of  our  own  land.  Thus  there 
is  a  tendency  to  forget  at  what  cost  the  liberties  of  the  American 


viii  Preface. 

people  were  purchased,  and  as  this  remembrance  fades,  these 
privileges  will  be  less  highly  prized  and  cherished.  That  this 
little  volume  may  have  its  influence  in  awakening  new  interest 
in  the  history  of  the  struggle  for  Independence,  increase  our 
veneration  for  the  noble  founders  of  the  Republic,  cause  to 
burn  with  a  brighter  glow  the  fires  of  patriotism  in  the  hearts 
of  the  American  people,  and  help  in  its  feeble  way  to  perpetuate 
our  free  institutions,  is  the  sincere  wish  of 

THE    AUTHOR. 
LIMA,  N.  Y.,  August,  1879. 


HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN'S  CAMPAIGN. 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE   IROQUOIS   CONFEDERACY. 

QCARCELY  a  page  in  history  possesses  greater  interest 
O  than  that  which  gives  the  story,  traditional  as  well  as 
authentic,  of  that  powerful  Indian  confederacy  of  North 
America  known  as  the  Iroquois,*  whose  domain,  once 
nearly  the  entire  State  of  New  York,  was  the  scene  of 
those  incidents  of  the  Revolutionary  War  which  are 
recorded  in  this  volume.  Proud,  ambitious  and  warlike 
in  spirit,  imbued  with  dauntless  courage,  and  far  sur- 
passing neighboring  tribes  in  prowess  and  the  arts  of 
savage  warfare,  they  wielded  a  controlling  influence 
over  the  whole  eastern  portion  of  this  vast  continent, 
and  carried  their  wars  of  subjugation  and  extirpation 
into  the  remotest  borders.  Tribe  after  tribe  yielded  to 
their  superiority,  until  their  nominal  empire  extended 
over  a  region  six  hundred  miles  wide  and  fully  twelve 
hundred  miles  in  length. 

Our  authentic  history  of  this  remarkable  people  dates 
back  to  about  the  time  of  the  discovery  of  America  by 
Columbus,  and  consequently  covers  a  period  of  only 
about  four  hundred  years.  Tradition,  however,  has 
been  busy  with  the  Iroquois,  and  its  doubtful  authority 

*  So  called  by  the  French  ;  the  English  called  them  the  Five  Nations,  and 
afterward  the  Six  Nations. 


io  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign. 

is  cited  to  show  that  they  have  had  existence  as  a  con- 
federacy for  nearly  a  thousand  years.  Much  of  this 
legendary  narrative  is  interesting,  but  little  of  it  can 
claim  a  place  in  any  authentic  history.  It  gives  to  the 
Iroquois  a  mythical  origin,  and  traces  a  long  series  of 
triumphs  which  followed  the  league  which  Hiawatha 
advised.  Of  the  predecessors  of  the  Iroquois  but  little 
is  known,  and  eminent  authorities  differ  as  to  whether 
other  peoples  inhabited  this  region  before  the  Indian. 
While  some  assign  the  ancient  fortifications  and  arti- 
ficial structures  found  so  frequently  in  Western  New 
York  to  the  age  of  the  Mound  Builders,  and  other  works 
to  races  of  men  who  came  later  than  that  strange  people, 
yet  preceded  the  Iroquois,  others  whose  opinions  are 
entitled  to  weight,  believe  that  all  of  these  indications 
of  prior  occupation  are  attributable  to  a  much  later 
period  than  that  of  the  Mound  Builders.  De  Witt  Clin- 
ton, who  had  given  the  subject  much  careful  study,  was 
of  the  opinion  that  long  before  the  Indian's  time  this 
region  was  peopled  by  a  race  greatly  excelling  the 
Iroquois  in  numbers  and  civilization. 

The  confederacy  was  formed  about  the  year  1450, 
tradition  says,  to  resist  the  invasion  of  their  territory 
by  the  tribes  of  the  north,  beyond  the  great  lakes.  Hia- 
watha, the  mythical  patron  saint  of  the  Indians,  said  to 
them,  "  Unite  the  Five  Nations  in  a  common  interest, 
aird  no  foe  shall  disturb  or  subdue  us ;  the  Great  Spirit 
will  then  smile  upon  us,  and  we  shall  be  free,  prosperous 
and  happy.  But  if  we  remain  as  now,  we  shall  be 
subject  to  his  frown ;  we  shall  be  enslaved,  perhaps 
annihilated,  our  warriors  will  perish  in  the  war  storm, 
and  our  names  be  forgotten  in  the  song  and  dance." 
Having  seen  his  plan  of  union  adopted,  the  tradition 
says  that  Hiawatha  went  down  to  the  shore  of  Onon- 
daga  lake,  near  which  the  conference  of  the  tribes  was 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign.  1 1 

held,  and  seating  himself  in  his  canoe,  was  wafted  to  the 
happy  hunting  grounds  to  the  strains  of  unseen  music. 
The  tribes  which  thus  united  their  forces  came  originally 
from  north  of  the  lakes,  where  they  had  lived  under 
subjection  to  the  Adirondacks.  Tiring  of  a  yoke  which 
their  proud  spirits  could  not  bear,  they  had  revolted, 
and  finally  emigrated  to  the  rich  territory  of  New  York, 
which  ever  after  remained  theirs  until  advancing  civili- 
zation robbed  them  of  it  step  by  step,  and  drove  the 
remnants  of  their  tribes  to  the  reservations  which  they 
now  occupy. 

The  confederacy  was  originally  composed  of  the  Mo- 
hawks, Oneidas,  Onondagas,  Cayugas  and  Senecas.  In 
1712  the  Tuscaroras  emigrated  from  North  Carolina,  on 
account  of  troubles  experienced  there,  and  being  received 
into  the  confederacy,  were  assigned  lands  between  the 
Oneidas  and  Onondagas.  The  principal  towns  of  the 
Mohawks  were  along  the  Mohawk  river;  the  Oneidas 
had  theirs  near  Oneida  lake,  the  Onondagas  near  Onon- 
daga  lake,  the  Cayugas  along  the  eastern  shore  of 
Cayuga  lake,  while  the  Senecas,  the  largest  tribe  of 
the  league,  occupied  all  that  territory  lying  between 
Cayuga  lake  and  the  Genesee  river,  and  which  is  called 
the  Genesee  country.  Between  the  Genesee  river  and 
the  great  lakes  was  a  debatable  ground  which  was  the 
scene  of  many  bloody  conflicts  with  neighboring  tribes, 
especially  the  Kah-kwas  and  Eries.  Eventually  their 
sway  was  extended  over  that  region  also,  but  for  a  long 
period  it  remained  uninhabited  and  seldom  traversed 
save  by  the  hunter  in  search  of  game,  or  savage  bands 
intent  on  hostile  missions  to  the  domains  of  distant 
tribes.  The  vast  territory  of  the  Iroquois,  so  well 
adapted  to  the  habits  and  necessities  of  this  people,  was 
called  by  them  the  Long  House,  and  they  designated 
themselves  Ho-de-no-sau-nee,  or  People  of  the  Long 


12  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign. 

House.  "  The  Senecas  in  Western  New  York  were  the 
keepers  of  the  great  western  gate,  which  led  into  the 
valley  of  the  Mississippi,  and  the  Mohawks,  the  fiercest 
and  most  powerful  clan,  the  keepers  of  the  eastern  door 
or  gate,  from  which  they  issued  to  conquer  the  Algon- 
quins  in  Canada,  or  the  Mohicans  and  other  tribes  of 
New  England."  *  Bancroft  says  that  their  immediate 
dominion  stretched  from  "the  borders  of  Vermont  to 
Western  New  York,  from  the  lakes  to  the  head  waters 
of  the  Ohio,  the  Susquehanna  and  the  Delaware,"  and 
he  adds  that  the  geographical  position  of  the  Iroquois 
made  them  umpires  in  the  contests  of  other  nations, 
and  their  own  political  importance  was  increased  by 
their  many  conquests.  "  Not  only  did  they  claim  some 
supremacy  in  Northern  New  England  as  far  as  the 
Kennebec,  and  to  the  south  as  far  as  New  Haven,  and 
were  acknowledged  as  absolute  lords  over  the  con- 
querred  Lenappe, — the  peninsula  of  Upper  Canada  was 
their  hunting  field  by  right  of  war;  they  had  extermin- 
ated the  Eries  and  Andastes,  both  tribes  of  their  own 
family,  the  one  dwelling  on  the  south-eastern  banks  of 
Lake  Erie,  the  other  on  the  head  waters  of  the  Ohio ; 
they  had  triumphantly  invaded  the  tribes  of  the  west  as 
far  as  Illinois;  their  warriors  had  reached  the  soil  of 
Kentucky  and  Western  Virginia,"  and  pushing  their 
conquests,  their  war-cry  was  heard  at  one  time,  as 
another  writer  has  said,  along  the  Straits  of  St.  Mary's, 
and  at  the  foot  of  Lake  Superior,  and  at  another  under 
the  walls  of  Quebec,  where  they  finally  defeated  the 
Hurons,  under  the  very  eyes  of  the  French.  "They 
eradicated  the  Susquehannas.  .  .  .  They  put  the 
Metoacks  and  Manhattans  under  tribute.  They  spread 
the  terror  of  their  arms  over  all  New  England.  They 
traversed  the  whole  length  of  the  Appalachian  Chain 


*  Ex-Governor  Seymour. 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign.  13 

and  descended  like  the  enraged  yagisho  and  megalonyx 
on  the  Cherokees  and  Catawbas." 

Nor  was  it  alone  in  the  arts  of  war  that  the  Iroquois 
exhibited  their  superiority.*  In  their  tribal  relations, 
the  structure  of  their  confederacy,  their  intelligence, 
diplomatic  skill  and  wise  statesmanship,  they  were  a 
remarkable  people.  The  excellent  system  of  govern- 
ment which  bound  the  tribes  together  for  purposes  of 
defense,  yet  preserved  the  individuality  and  reserved 
rights  of  each  separate  tribe,  manifested  their  large 
conception  of  the  problems  of  government,  and  their 
ability  to  form  and  maintain  a  government  of  their  peo- 
ple on  the  basis  of  a  pure  democracy.  The  league  bore 
a  strong  resemblance  to  that  which  binds  together  the 
several  states  of  the  Union.  It  was  purely  democratic 
in  principle,  and  any  other  would  have  been  unsuited 
to  the  character  of  this  proud  and  haughty  race,  who 
could  brook  no  opposition  nor  bow  beneath  a  yoke 
which  in  any  degree  restrained  their  liberties.  Brave, 
restless  and  ambitious,  strongly  marked  in  their  love  of 
freedom,  holding  in  proud  disdain  anything  servile  or 
degraded,  with  an  admiration  approaching  reverence 
for  all  acts  of  bravery,  and  a  contempt  that  often  gave 
birth  to  hatred  and  ferocious  cruelty  for  any  exhibition 
of  weakness  and  cowardice,  the  restraints  of  govern- 
ment must  needs  bear  lightly  upon  them  to  secure  their 
continued  sanction  and  support.  It  was  only  a  system 
that  should  secure  them  protection  and  greater  strength, 
while  abridging  in  no  degree  their  individual  rights, 
that  would  meet  the  conditions  of  that  time.  How 
wisely  the  confederacy  was  formed  is  best  shown  by 
the  fact  that  it  has  existed  for  over  four  hundred  years, 


*  The  Six  Nations  were  a  peculiar  and  extraordinary  people,  contra- 
distinguished from  the  mass  of  Indian  nations  by  great  attainments  in  polity, 
in  negotiation,  in  eloquence  and  in  war. — DeWitt  Clinton. 


14  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign. 

and  is  even  still  in  force  among  the  remnants  of  the 
tribes.  There  is  nothing  to  show  that  the  compact  was 
ever  broken,  or  that  the  slightest  element  of  discord 
has  ever  crept  in  to  weaken  or  destroy  it. 

The  affairs  of  the  nation  were  in  the  hands  of  sa- 
chems, fifty  in  number,  who  met  in  council  when  any 
important  question  was  to  be  considered.  In  this  coun- 
cil ea.ch  tribe  had  its  allotted  representation.  The 
sachems  of  each  tribe  were  chosen  by  unanimous  con- 
sent, those  being  selected  to  this  office  who  had  shown 
marked  wisdom  and  integrity  of  character.  They  usu- 
ally met  in  the  council  house  of  the  Onondagas,  on 
account  of  its  central  location,  and  their  deliberations 
were  conducted  with  a  gravity  and  decorum  worthy  of 
imitation  by  more  civilized  nations.  It  is  stated  that 
"the  reason  and  judgment  of  these  grave  sachems, 
rather  than  their  passions,  were  appealed  to,"  and  it  is 
said  to  have  been  a  breach  of  decorum  for  a  sachem  in 
the  great  council  to  reply  to  a  speech  on  the  day  of  its 
delivery.  Still,  though  conducted  so  gravely  and  de- 
corously, the  meetings  of  the  sachems  were  often  the 
occasions  of  strains  of  eloquence  that  would  have  moved 
critical  audiences  of  cultured  people.  "  Their  language, 
though  guttural,  was  sonorous.  Their  orators  studied 
euphony  in  their  words  and  in  their  arrangement. 
Their  graceful  attitudes  and  gestures,  and  their  flowing 
sentences,  rendered  their  discourses,  it  not  always  elo- 
quent, at  least  highly  impressive.  An  erect  and  com- 
manding figure,  with  a  blanket  thrown  loosely  over  the 
shoulder,  with  his  naked  arm  raised,  and  addressing  in 
impassioned  strains  a  group  of  similar  persons  sitting 
upon  the  ground  around  him,  would,  to  use  the  illustra- 
tion of  an  early  historian  of  this  State,  give  no  faint 
picture  of  Rome  in  her  early  days."  It  is  said  that  a 
remarkable  difference  existed  between  the  Iroquois  and 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign.  15 

other  Indian  tribes  with  respect  to  oratory,  and  that  no 
research  will  show  in  the  records  of  the  past  "  a  single 
model  of  eloquence  among  the  Algonquins,  the  Aben- 
aquis,  the  Delawares,  the  Shawanese,  or  any  other 
nation  of  Indians,  except  the  Iroquois.  The  fe  iv  scintil- 
lations of  intellectual  light ;  the  faint  glimmerings  of 
genius,  which  are  sometimes  to  be  found  in  their 
speeches,  are  evidently  derivative  and  borrowed  from 
the  confederates."  Examples  of  this  nativ.e  oratory 
might  be  cited,  but  it  is  enough  that  we  write  the 
names  of  Cornplanter,  Logan  and  Red  Jacket,  as  mas- 
ters of  that  eloquence  which  could  move  multitudes, 
and  has  perpetuated  their  names  on  the  page  of  history. 
The  league  was  the  offspring  of  necessity ;  an  alliance 
offensive  and  defensive  in  its  aims.  The  system  upon 
\vhich  it  was  founded,  as  previously  stated,  was  a  sin- 
gularly well-chosen  one,  and  illustrates  the  superior 
intellectual  character  of  this  people.  A  study  of  this 
system  is  an  interesting  one,  for  it  was  "  wisely  con- 
ceived by  the  untaught  statesmen  of  the  forest,  who  had 
no  precedents  to  consult,  no  written  lore  of  ages  to  refer 
to,  no  failures  or  triumphs  of  systems  of  human  govern- 
ment to  serve  for  models  or  comparisons;  nothing  to 
guide  them  but  the  lights  of  nature ;  nothing  to  prompt 
them  but  necessity  and  emergency."  A  high  authority 
long  since  pronounced  the  Iroquois  the  Romans  of  the 
West,  and  another  eminent  writer*  says :  "  Had  they 
enjoyed  the  advantages  possessed  by  the  Greeks  and 
Romans,  there  is  no  reason  to  believe  they  would  have 
been  at  all  inferior  to  these  celebrated  nations.  Their 
minds  appear  to  have  been  equal  to  any  effort  within 
the  reach  of  man.  Their  conquests,  if  we  consider  their 
numbers  and  circumstances,  were  little  inferior  to  those 
of  Rome  itself.  In  their  harmony,  the  unity  of  their 

*  President  Dwight. 


1 6  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign. 

operations,  the  energy  of  their  character,  the  vastness, 
vigor  and  success  of  their  enterprises,  and  the  strength 
and  sublimity  of  their  eloquence,  they  may  be  fairly 
compared  with  the  Greeks.  Both  the  Greeks  and 
Romans,  before  they  began  to  rise  into  distinction,  had 
already  reached  the  state  of  society  in  which  men  are 
able  to  improve.  The  Iroquois  had  not.  The  Greeks 
and  Romans  had  ample  means  for  improvement;  the 
Iroquois  tyad  none." 

The  underlying  principle  of  the  Confederacy  was  a 
perfect  equality,  which  gave  to  each  tribe  equal  rights 
and  immunities.  No  special  privileges  were  granted  to 
any  portion  of  the  nation  that  were  not  enjoyed  by  the 
whole.  A  distinguishing  feature  of  the  league  was  that 
unanimity  was  required  in  determining  its  policy.  Where, 
however,  this  unanimity  could  not  be  reached  in  the 
council,  each  tribe  was  at  liberty  to  follow  its  own  incli- 
nations. Thus,  when  the  great  council  was  held  to  con- 
sider the  question  of  joining  the  British  in  the  war 
against  the  Colonies,  a  division  occurred.  The  Oneidas 
strongly  opposed  the  alliance.while  nothing  could  restrain 
the  fierce  Mohawks  from  entering  the  conflict.  Conse- 
quently, as  the  necessary  unanimity  which  would  have 
been  binding  on  the  whole  could  not  be  secured,  each  tribe 
was,  by  the  law  of  the  nation,  free  to  engage  in  the  war 
or  remain  at  peace  with  the  Americans.  In  the  subse- 
quent pages  of  this  work  it  will  be  shown  that  the  greater 
portion  of  the  league  yielded  to  the  persuasions  of  the 
British  agents,  while  many  of  the  Oneidas  remained 
neutral,  or  aided,  as  guides,  the  feeble  cause  of  the  Col- 
onies, and  would  have  been  willing  to  have  done  still 
more,  had  their  proffered  services  been  accepted  by  the 
Colonial  government. 

Champlain,  one  of  the  first  of  the  French  explorers 
who  visited  this  continent  and  aided  In  the  settlement  of 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign.  17 

New  France,  now  Canada,  very  injudiciously  allied  him- 
self in  1609  with  the  Algonquinsand  Hurons,  of  Canada, 
in  an  expedition  against  the  Iroquois.  Near  Lake  George 
they  met  a  war  party  of  two  hundred  of  the  latter  na- 
tion, and  a  battle  ensued,  in  which  the  usually  victorious 
Iroquois  were  defeated.  By  this  act  Champlain  made 
implacable  enemies  of  the  confederates,  and  a  warfare 
lasting  many  years  ensued,  with  only  an  occasional  and 
brief  respite  gained  by  some  short-lived  truae.  About 
the  year  1649  the  Iroquois  conquered  and  almost  wholly 
annihilated  the  Hurons,  who  had  been  allies  of  the  French, 
and  "  flushed  with  their  victories  over  their  own  race, 
the  Iroquois  grew  bolder  and  more  determined  to  expel 
another  race  whom  they  regarded  as  intruders,  and  who 
had  been  the  allies  of  their  foes."  In  1658  they  defeated 
and  massacred  the  Algonquins  under  the  very  walls  of 
Quebec  and  within  sight  of  their  white  allies.  A  new 
treaty  suspended  hostilities  for  awhile,  but  the  struggle 
for  supremacy  soon  commenced  anew,  and  continued 
with  but  little  cessation  for  many  years.  About  this 
time  the  Iroquois,  who  had  long  regarded  the  English 
with  favor,  united  their  fortunes  with  the  latter,  and  en- 
tered into  an  alliance  which  was  observed  with  singular 
fidelity  for  upward  of  an  hundred  years.  In  1771  the 
Rev.  Dr.  Charles  Inglis  wrote  that  "  history  perhaps  can- 
not furnish  an  instance  where  a  treaty  of  this  kind  has 
been  more  faithfully  adhered  to,"  and  he  added  that  with 
the  exception  of  such  as  had  been  drawn  over  to  the 
French  by  the  influence  of  the  Jesuit  missionaries,  there 
had  been  no  material  breach  of  the  treaty.  In  all  the 
struggles  for  supremacy  in  the  new  world  which  occurred 
between  England  and  France,  the  Iroquois  gave  material 
aid  to  their  friends,  and  -'it  last  had  the  satisfaction  of 
seeing  their  old  foes;  the  French,  conquered,  and  their 
province  wrested  from  their  possession.  Perhaps  we  may 


1 8  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign. 

find  here  some  explanation  ol  the  subsequent  course  of  the 
Six  Nations  in  aiding  the  British  in  their  efforts  to  subdue 
the  Colonies,  being  moved,  it  may  be,  as  much  by  grati- 
tude and  long  friendship  as  by  the  presents  lavished  upon 
them  by  the  British  agents.  In  the  French  war,  to  which 
allusion  has  been  made,  the  Iroquois  fought  many  des- 
perate battles  under  the  leadership  of  Sir  William  John- 
son. A  letter  dated  July  25th,  1759,  says  of  their  service 
in  the  siege  and  final  capture  of  Fort  Niagara  :  "  The 
Mohawks  have  done  wonders,  serving  in  the  trenches 
and  every  place  where  Sir  William  was,"  and  of  the 
latter  the  writer  said,  "  the  Indians  adore  him." 

From  the  close  of  the  French  war  to  the  outbreak  of 
the  Revolutionary  struggle,  the  Iroquois  enjoyed  a  period 
of  comparative  peace.  The  word  enjoyed  is  used 
advisedly.  Mary  Jemison  says  that  "  no  people  can  live 
more  happily  than  the  Indians  in  time  of  peace."  At 
such  times  they  gave  themselves  up  to  a  round  of  simple 
sports  and  pleasures  in  keeping  with  their  wild,  untram- 
meled  life.  Their  wants  were  few  and  simple,  and  were 
supplied  with  but  slight  exertion,  while  "  their  cares 
were  only  for  to-day."  During  this  period,  also,  they 
learned  the  value  of  peace  to  a  nation  vastly  reduced  by 
the  hardships  of  war,  and  recuperated  their  wasted 
strength.  The  warriors  and  young  men  followed  the 
chase,  or  indulged  in  rude  sports  which  served  at  once 
to  amuse  them  in  their  idle  hours,  and  to  retain  their 
strength  of  limb  and  skill  with  their  weapons  upon  which 
they  relied  so  confidently  in  time  of  war.  Thus  they 
preserved  and  taught  to  the  growing  youth  the  tactics 
of  Indian  warfare,  "  laying  the  ambuscade,  surprising 
their  enemies,  and  performing  many  accurate  maneuvres 
with  the  tomahawk  and  scalping  knife."  While  the  men 
were  thus  schooling  themselves  in  the  arts  of  war  or  else 
idling  away  their  time,  the  squaws  were  performing  their 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign,  19 

simple  domestic  duties,  or  industriously  tilling  the  soil 
of  their  vast  possessions.  Extensive  apple  and  peach 
orchards  were  planted  about  the  scattered  villages,  the 
attention  of  the  Indians  having  been  directed  to  the  cul- 
tivation of  these  fruits  by  the  Jesuit  missionaries  who 
came  among  them  soon  after  the  advent  of  the  French 
in  America,  Vast  fields  of  corn  were  also  planted  in  the 
rich  valleys,  and  immense  quantities  of  melons,  squashes, 
beans,  potatoes,  and  other  vegetables  were  raised,  as  was 
also  a  fine  quality  of  tobacco.  Throughout  the  region 
traversed  by  Sullivan,  and  especially  in  the  valley  of  the 
Genesee,  he  found  cornfields  producing  crops  exceeding 
in  quality  and  quantity  anything  to  which  the  soldiers  of 
the  army  had  been  accustomed  in  their  eastern  homes. 
Many  of  the  ears  of  corn  which  they  saw  measured 
twenty-two  inches  in  length,  and  they  carried  away  with 
them  the  finest  sweet  corn  ever  seen  by  the  residents  of 
New  England.  As  in  the  arts  of  war  and  diplomacy 
the  Iroquois  had  proved  their  superiority,  so  in  the  pur- 
suits of  peace,  they  showed  greater  intelligence  and  ad- 
vancement than  surrounding  tribes,  and  a  progressive 
spirit  in  strong  contrast  with  the  aversion  which  many 
savage  peoples  show  to  all  civilizing  influences.  This 
tendency  to  a  higher  civilization  was  also  shown  in  their 
houses,  many  of  which  were  more  than  mere  wigwams, 
and  some  were  so  good  that  General  Sullivan  was  led  to 
speak  of  them  in  his  official  report  as  "  elegant  Indian 
houses."  It  is  true  that  some  of  the  brave  General's  un- 
friendly contemporaries  laughed  at  this  description  and 
questioned  his  knowledge  of  the  meaning  of  the  word  ele- 
gant, but  the  weight  of  evidence  sustains  the  assertion 
that  many  of  them  were  both  framed  and  painted,  and  of 
such  a  creditable  order  of  architecture  as  to  excite  sur- 
prise in  those  who  accompanied  Sullivan's  expedition. 
His  own  praise  of  these  habitations  was  echoed  by  many 


2O  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign. 

of  his  army  comrades,  who  wrote  to  their  friends  of 
finding  "  houses  large  and  elegant,  some  beautifully 
painted." 

The  continued  wars  in  which  the  Iroquois  had  been 
engaged  were  the  cause  of  a  rapid  depletion  of  their 
numbers,  and  at  the  time  of  the  Revolution,  their  ranks 
were  much  reduced,  although  they  were  still  formidable 
foes.  The  whole  number  of  persons,  young  and  old,  at 
this  time,  was  estimated  at  fifteen  thousand,  and  the 
nation  was  able  to  put  in  the  field  a  force  of  warriors 
about  twenty -two  hundred  strong.  Captain  Dalton,  who 
was  a  prisoner  among  the  Indians  for  several  years,  pub- 
lished in  1 783  "an  estimate  of  the  Indian  nations  em- 
ployed by  the  British  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  with 
the  number  of  warriors  annexed  to  each  nation,"  in 
which  he  estimated  the  number  of  the  Mohawks  thus 
employed  at  300,  the  Oneidas  150,  Tuscaroras  200,  On- 
ondagas  300,  Cayugas  230,  Senecas  400.  The  Rev.  Mr. 
Kirkland  estimated  the  whole  number  of  fighting  men 
in  the  Seneca  tribe  in  1783,  at  600.  Another  authority,* 
however,  put  the  whole  number  of  souls  in  the  Iroquois 
nation  at  only  about  ten  thousand,  "  the  Seneca  nation 
alone  amounting  to  one-half  that  number,"  and  the  war- 
riors were  estimated  at  two  thousand. 

Reference  has  already  been  made  to  the  location  of 
the  several  tribes  comprising  the  league,  but  a  clear 
understanding  of  the  work  accomplished  by  Sullivan's 
expedition  calls  for  a  more  particular  description  of  the 
country  and  villages  of  the  Cayugas  and  Senecas,  as  it 
was  through  their  territory  that  he  pursued  his  march, 
and  their  villages,  orchards  and  growing  crops  that  he 
destroyed.  The  principal  Cayuga  village  was  on  the 
eastern  shore  of  Cayuga  lake,  near  the  foot,  with  several 
smaller  villages  scattered  along  the  eastern  and  western 

*  Gov.  Tryon,  1774. 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign.  21 

shores  to  the  head  of  the  lake.  Coming  westward  we 
find  several  small  Seneca  villages  along  the  eastern 
shore  of  Seneca  lake ;  and  at  the  foot  of  that  lake,  near 
the  modern  village  of  Geneva,  was  Kanadesaga,  or 
Seneca  castle.  The  next  important  village  was  on  the 
site  of  the  present  village  of  Canandaigua,  and  bore 
the  Indian  name  of  Kanandaque,  the  orthography  of 
the  modern  name  being  but  little  changed.  Farther 
westward  was  the  village  of  Hanneyaya,  at  the  foot  of 
Honeoye  lake.  Beyond  this  there  appear  to  have  been 
no  Indian  villages  at  this  time  until  the  limits  of  the 
present  county  of  Livingston  were  reached.  Within 
these  limits  were  to  be  found  the  principal  villages  of 
the  Senecas.  Their  favorite  dwelling  place  seems  to 
have  been  the  Genesee  valley,  whose  beauty  had  a 
charm  for  even  their  savage  natures,  and  called  forth 
all  their  poetic  feelings.  Here  they  established  the 
abodes  of  many  of  their  greatest  warriors  and  principal 
sachems,  and  from  here  went  forth  the  predatory  bands 
which  waged  relentless  war  against  neighboring  tribes, 
or  carried  death  and  desolation  to  the  peaceful  set- 
tlements of  the  east.  Here,  also,  were  brought  the 
prisoners  taken  in  their  bloody  conflicts,  and  hither 
flocked  the  women  and  children  and  those  unfit  for 
service,  from  the  outlying  towns,  when  the  news  of 
Sullivan's  advance  spread  terror  among  the  tribes. 
Brant  and  the  Butlers  frequently  tarried  here  in  their 
journeyings  from  Fort  Niagara  to  the  east,  and  often 
planned  here  those  expeditions  which  have  made  their 
names  a  by-word  and  reproach. 

Dyn-non-dah  ga-eeh,  or  Little  Beard's  Town,  was  the 
most  important  village  of  the  Senecas.  It  was  the  home 
of  Little  Beard,  the  great  chief,  and  though  not  the 
place  where  the  tribe  kindled  the  council  fire,  most  of 
the  expeditions  were  here  planned.  Sullivan  called  it 


22  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign. 

in  his  report  the  capital  of  the  western  Indians,  and  it  is 
frequently  mentioned  in  his  papers  as  Chinesee  Castle, 
while  others  call  it  the  castle  or  principal  town  of  the 
tribe.  While  it  has  no  claim  as  the  capital  of  the  tribe, 
it  is  entitled  to  the  distinction  of  being  the  largest 
village  visited  by  Sullivan  on  his  march.  Little  Beard, 
by  reason  of  his  renown  as  a  warrior,  had  gathered 
about  him  many  of  the  bravest  and  wisest  of  the  tribe, 
and  the  consequence  was  to  build  up  a  village  of  consid- 
erable magnitude.  Butler  and  Brant  frequently  visited 
it,  and  Mary  Jemison,  the  White  Woman  of  the  Genesee, 
whose  husband  was  one  of  Little  Beard's  most  trusted 
warriors,  says  she  has  "  many  a  night  pounded  samp  for 
them  from  sunset  till  sunrise,  and  furnished  them  with 
the  necessary  provisions  and  clean  clothing  for  their 
journey."  The  location  of  the  Indian  village  was  on 
the  eastern  part  of  the  site  of  the  present  village  of 
Cuylerville,  on  the  west  side  of  the  Genesee,  and  about 
three  miles  from  Geneseo,  the  present  county  seat.  At 
a  late  day  the  ruins  of  the  huts  found  in  this  vicinity 
showed  that  the  village  had  been  one  of  considerable 
proportions.  Sullivan  says  it  contained  one  hundred 
and  twenty-eight  houses,  "mostly  very  large  and  ele- 
gant." The  Indian  orchard  stood  nearer  the  river, 
while  to  the  south  of  it  was  the  burial  ground.  Its 
location  was  a  beautiful  and  commanding  one.  To  the 
east  the  land  gently  sloped  to  the  river,  while  in  the 
vicinity  were  broad  flats,  on  which  were  found  by 
Sullivan  extensive  fields  of  corn  and  "  every  kind  of 
vegetable  that  can  be  conceived."  Little  Beard  himself 
appears  to  have  been  a  person  of  considerable  import- 
ance. Fierce  and  cruel  while  on  the  warpath,  in  the 
councils  of  the  tribe  he  was  a  man  of  keen  good  sense 
and  judgment,  and  his  views  carried  with  them  great 
weight.  According  to  actual  surveys  made  by  Captain 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign.  23 

Machin,  who  accompanied  Sullivan  as  an  engineer, 
Little  Beard's  Town  was  two  hundred  and  eighty  miles 
from  Easton,  Pa.,  by  the  route  which  the  army  tra- 
versed. It  was  the  extreme  western  point  reached  by 
the  expedition.  Little  Beard's  Town  was  known  to  the 
English  as  Chenussio,  the  great  town  of  the  Senecas. 
Ten  years  before  it  had  stood  on  the  east  bank  of  the 
Genesee,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Canaseraga  creek,  where 
Williamsburg  afterward  stood.  The  Guy  Johnson  map 
of  1771  gave  this  as  its  site.  At  the  time  of  DeNonville's 
expedition,  in  1689,  it  probably  stood  on  the  hill  above 
Geneseo.  The  location  of  these  Indian  towns  changed 
about  every  ten  years,  and  when  Sullivan  came  to  the 
Genesee  he  failed  to  find  Chenussio  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Canaseraga,  as  his  maps  indicated,  but  several  miles  dis- 
tant, and  on  the  other  side  of  the  river,  while  nearly  all 
traces  of  the  Indian  village  at  the  former  place  had 
disappeared. 

Still  further  to  the  north  was  the  village  of  Canawau- 
gus,  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Genesee,  nearly  opposite 
the  Avon  sulphur  springs.  It  seems  to  have  been  one 
of  the  most  populous  of  the  Seneca  villages.  Some 
authorities  have  estimated  its  population  at  one  thou- 
sand. This  estimate  is  doubtless  too  high,  yet  the  village 
was  a  favorite  resort  of  the  Senecas,  who  often  availed 
themselves  of  the  healing  waters  of  the  neighboring 
springs.  Old  settlers  have  stated  that  there  was  an- 
other smaller  village  on  the  east  side  of  the  river,  a  mile 
or  more  below  Canawaugus,  which  was  also  destroyed 
by  a  detachment  from  Sullivan's  army,  but  this  is  untrue. 
Near  the  great  spring  at  Caledonia  was  the  Indian  vil- 
lage of  Dyiineganooh.  Here  the  Senecas  brought  many 
of  their  prisoners  for  torture,  and  for  years  it  was  a  noted 
stopping  place  for  the  Indians  and  afterward  for  white 
men.  Situated  on  the  great  trail  leading  from  Albany 


24  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign. 

to  Niagara,  its  good  pastures  and  the  fine  trout  which 
abounded  in  its  streams  were  quite  inviting  to  the  trav- 
elers on  that  thoroughfare.  This  village  appears  to 
have  escaped  the  fate  of  others  when  Sullivan's  army 
came  into  the  Genesee  country,  and  here  the  fugitive 
squaws  and  children  from  the  other  villages  up  the 
river  tarried  for  a  short  rest  while  fleeing  before  the 
army.  Butler  and  his  rangers  also  halted  here  the  next 
day,  on  their  way  to  Niagara. 

Near  the  present  village  of  Nunda  was  0-non-da-oh, 
or  Nundow.  It  was  quite  an  important  village,  but 
when  its  warriors  yielded  to  the  importunities  of  the 
British  and  started  out  on  the  warpath,  their  families 
removed  to  Little  Beard's  Town  for  greater  security, 
and  the  village  remained  unoccupied  for  several  years. 
As  no  part  of  Sullivan's  command  went  as  far  as  6non- 
daoh,  it  was  also  spared.  Several  smaller  villages  were 
scattered  about  within  the  present  limits  of  Livingston 
county,  among  them  Kanaghsaws,*  or  Adjusta,  at  the 
head  of  Conesus  lake,  where  the  army  encamped  on  the 
night  that  Lieutenant  Boyd  set  out  on  his  fatal  mission, 
and  Gathsegwarohare,  two  miles  from  the  confluence  of 
the  Genesee  river  and  Canaseraga  creek,  where  that 
ill-fated  officer  and  his  companions  spent  the  night  pre- 
ceding their  massacre.  Besides  these  villages  there 
were  smaller  ones  scattered  throughout  the  Seneca 
country,  including  Schoyase  (now  Waterloo),  Catha- 
rinestown,  at  the  head  of  Seneca  lake,  and  settlements 


*  This  was  the  home  of  Big  Tree,  a  noted  chieftan,  who  deserves  more  than 
passing  notice  for  his  adherence  to  the  cause  of  the  colonies  during  the 
Revolution.  He  vainly  endeavored  to  induce  his  people  to  observe  a  strict 
neutrality,  and  failing  in  that,  he  entered  the  Continental  army.  In  1778  he 
was  despatched  by  Washington  to  use  his  influence  with  the  Senecas  to  cause 
them  to  withdraw  the  support  they  were  giving  the  enemy,  but  his  efforts 
were  again  unavailing,  although  his  people  were  at  first  inclined  to  listen  to 
him. 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign.  25 

on  the  present  sites  of  Elmira  and  Chemung.  As  far 
as  possible  these  places  will  be  fully  described  as  we 
follow  the  march  of  the  army. 

In  General  Sullivan's  report  to  the  Continental  Con- 
gress of  the  results  of  his  expedition,  he  stated  that  his 
army  destroyed  forty  Indian  villages.  Some  difficulty 
having  been  experienced  in  tracing  out  so  large  a  num- 
ber, some  of  Sullivan's  brother  officers  said  that  his  report 
was  a  "  pompous  account  of  his  military  peregrinations." 
These  critics  failed  to  accord  to  Sullivan  the  measure  of 
justice  which  was  his  due.  They  credited  him  with  the 
destruction  of  but  eighteen  towns,*  when  he  actually 
destroyed  at  least  forty,  and  gave  as  the  result  of  his 
long  and  weary  march,  with  its  many  privations  and 
dangers,  "  eleven  Indians  killed,  two  old  squaws,  a  negro 
and  a  white  man  taken."  While  some  jealous  partisans 
were  thus  disposed  to  question  Sullivan's  services,  it  is 
gratifying  to  know  that  the  commander-in-chief  and 
congress  awarded  him  his  due  meed  of  praise,  and  com- 
mended the  bravery  ,and  faithfulness  with  which  he 
carried  out  the  plans  of  the  expedition. 

As  the  hostility  of  the  Iroquois  to  the  struggling  col- 
onists during  the  Revolutionary  War  was  largely  due 
to  the  influence  which  Sir  William  Johnson  and  his 
family  had  over  the  Indian  tribes,  the  remaining  pages 
of  this  chapter  will  be  devoted  to  a  brief  sketch  of  these 
prominent  loyalists.  The  coming  of  Sir  William  John- 
son to  a  country  in  which  he  was  destined  to  occupy  an 
important  position,  occurred  in  1734.  He  was  a  native 
of  Ireland,  which  he  left  on  account  of  a  love  affair 


*  Sullivan,  in  his  report,  says  40  ;  but  if  a  few  old  houses  which  had  been 
deserted  for  several  years,  were  met  with  and  burnt,  they  were  put  down  for 
a  town.  Stables  and  wood-hovels,  and  lodges  in  the  field,  when  the  Indians 
were  called  to  work  there,  were  all  reckoned  as  houses. — Gordoris  American 
War,  1789. 

3 


26  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign. 

which  brought  him  disappointment  and  trouble.  Land- 
ing in  America  he  was  made  the  agent  of  a  vast  estate 
in  the  present  county  of  Montgomery,  owned  by  his 
uncle,  Sir  Peter  Warren,  an  English  admiral.  He  estab- 
lished his  home  near  the  present  village  of  Port  Jackson, 
and  soon  succeeded  in  winning  the  friendship  not  only 
of  the  few  settlers  who  surrounded  him,  but  also  of  the 
Mohawks  and  the  tribes  farther  to  the  west.  So  thor- 
oughly did  he  win  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  the  red 
men  that  he  was  able  to  wield  over  them  a  powerful 
influence  to- the  day  of  his  death.  He  appears  to  have 
possessed  the  rare  faculty  of  thoroughly  adapting  him- 
self to  surrounding  circumstances,  and  in  ingratiating 
himself  in  jthe  favor  of  those  with  whom  he  was  brought 
in  contact.  He  could  conform  to  all  requirements,  and 
was  peculiarly  happy  in  making  himself  beloved  by  all 
sorts  of  people.  With  his  Dutch  neighbors  he  would 
smoke  his  pipe  and  drink  his  flip,  as  the  incidents  of 
frontier  life  or  the  prospects  of  the  settlements  were 
discussed,  while,  if  occasion  required,  he  could  sustain 
his  part  in  the  most  genteel  company.  With  the  Indians 
he  was  equally  at  home.  He  soon  acquired  their  lan- 
guage and  spoke  it  with  great  fluency.  Their  habits 
and  peculiarities  he  studied,  their  wants  he  anticipated, 
and  by  a  wise  course  he  secured  their  confidence'  and  an 
ascendancy  over  them  which  has  scarcely  a  parallel  in 
history.  He  is  said  to  have  possessed  a  hardy,  vigor- 
ous constitution,  a  strong,  coarse  mind,  unsusceptible 
to  the  finer  feelings,  and  "  unconfined  by  those  moral 
restraints  which  bridle  men  of  tender  conscience,  he 
here  saw  the  path  open  to  wealth  and  distinction,  and 
determined  to  make  the  most  of  his  opportunity."  He 
often  donned  the  Indian  dress,  out  of  compliment  to  his 
dusky  friends,  and  at  his  mansion  they  were  always 
welcome  guests.  Frequently,  when  they  came  to  con- 
sult him  on  some  important  matter,  they  made  his  house 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign.  27 

and  grounds  their  home.  He  had  on  the  Mohawk  two 
spacious  residences  known  as  Johnson  Hall  and  Johnson 
Castle,  the  former  being  his  summer  residence.  Return- 
ing from  their  summer  excursions  and  exchanging  their 
furs  for  firearms  and  ammunition,  the  Indians  used  to 
spend  several  days  at  the  castle  when  the  family  and 
domestics  were  at  the  Hall.  "  There  they  were  all  lib- 
erally entertained  by  Sir  William,  and  500  of  them  have 
been  known,  for  nights  together,  after  drinking  pretty 
freely,  to  lie  around  him  on  the  ground,  while  he  was 
the  only  white  person  in  a  house  containing  great 
quantities  of  everything  that  was  to  them  valuable  or 
desirable." 

Enjoying,  as  he  thus  did,  the  favor  of  the  Indians, 
Sir  William  was  just  the  man  the  English  government 
needed  in  the  exigencies  of  that  period.  The  French 
still  maintained  a  foothold  in  Canada,  and  made  strenu- 
ous endeavors  to  plant  their  settlements  in  the  rich 
domain  of  the  Iroquois.  Their  Jesuit  missionaries,  with 
more  of  state  craft  than  religious  ardor,  penetrated 
to  the  remotest  villages  of  the  tribes,  and  with  the  Sen- 
ecas  especially,  their  efforts  to  draw  the  Iroquois  to  the 
support  of  the  French  were  in  a  measure  successful. 
There  was  need  of  one  who  was  able  to  resist  the 
intriguing  diplomacy  of  the  French,  and  hold  the  Iro- 
quois to  a  firm  allegiance  to  the  crown.  Sir  William 
fully  proved  his  fitness  for  this  task,  and  being  made  the 
Indian  agent,  and  the  almoner  of  the  King,  who  craftily 
lavished  his  gifts  on  the  Indians,  the  Baronet's  power 
and  position  were  greatly  advanced.  In  the  last  war 
against  the  French  he  was  made  a  general  of  militia, 
and  having  been  chosen  as  a  chief  by  the  Iroquois,  he 
led  those  dusky  warriors  in  the  engagements  of  that 
final  struggle.  He  was  made  a  baronet  for  his  services 
in  the  expedition  against  Crown  Point,  and  Parliament 
voted  him  five  thousand  pounds.  He  was  active  in  all 


28  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign. 

Indian  affairs,  negotiating  many  treaties  with  the  Iro- 
quois  and  Western  tribes.  With  such  opportunities 
within  his  reach,  and  enjoying  in  largest  degree  the 
favor  of  the  King,  he  became  the  possessor  of  great 
wealth,*  which  he  seems  to  have  enjoyed  after  the  old 
baronial  style,  with  much  of  its  rude  splendor  and  gen- 
erous hospitality. 

The  darker  side  of  Sir  William's  life  was  shown  in  his 
marital  relations.  A  comely  Dutch  maiden  soon  filled 
in  his  heart  the  place  once  occupied  by  the  fickle  Irish 
lass,  and  taking  her  to  his  abode  she  lived  with  him  as 
his  acknowledged  wife  for  many  years,  but  society  was 
set  at  defiance  by  the  omission  of  the  usual  marriage 
rite.  By  her  he  had  three  children,  two  daughters  and 
a  son,  Sir  John  Johnson.  One  of  the  daughters  married 
Colonel  Daniel  Claus,  and  the  other  Colonel  Guy  John- 
son, a  nephew  of  Sir  William.  When  on  her  death-bed 
Sir  William  was  married  to  this  woman,  in  order  to 
legitimatize  his  children.  Afterward  he  took  to  himself 
Molly  Brant,  a  sister  of  the  noted  chieftain,  and  lived 
with  her  several  years  before  any  marriage  ceremony 
was  performed. 

Sir  William  Johnson's  death,  which  occurred  July 
nth,  1774,  at  the  age  of  59  years,  has  always  been 
shrouded  in  mystery.  It  was  sudden  and  unexpected, 
and  occurred  under  circumstances  that  gave  color  to  the 

*  An  anecdote  frequently  told,  illustrates  the  manner  in  which  he  acquired 
one  valuable  grant.  Hendrick,  the  great  sachem  of  the  Mohawks,  was  at  Sir 
William's  at  a  time  when  the  latter  had  just  received  several  rich  suits  of  mil- 
itary clothes.  Coveting  the  richly  caparisoned  garments,  Hendrick  soon 
came  to  Sir  William,  saying,  "  I  dream."  "  Well,  what  did  you  dream  ? " 
asked  the  latter.  "  I  dream  you  give  me  one  suit  of  clothes."  Much  amused 
by  the  Indian's  ingenuity.  Sir  William  gave  him  a  suit,  but  soon  after  the 
latter  also  said,  "  I  dreamed  last  night."  Hendrick  replied,  "  Did  you  ;  what 
you  dream?"  "  I  dreamed  you  gave  me  a  tract  of  land,"  describing  a  rich 
tract  about  twelve  miles  square.  Hendrick,  after*a  long  pause,  replied,  "  Well, 
I  suppose  you  must  have  it,"  and  then  raising  a  warning  finger,  he  added, 
"  but  you  must  not  dream  again  ;  you  too  much  for  me." 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign.  29 

theory  of  suicide.  The  great  struggle  for  independence 
had  just  commenced,  and  men  were  rapidly  taking  their 
position,  either  with  the  oppressed  people  or  on  the  side 
of  the  King.  In  this  emergency  Sir  William  found 
himself  placed  in  trying  and  peculiar  circumstances. 
Many  of  his  neighbors,  to  whom  he  was  deeply  attached, 
had  already  espoused  the  cause  of  the  Colonies.  He 
had  led  them  on  to  victory  in  previous  wars,  for  years 
had  been  in  daily  association  with  them,  and  enjoyed 
their  fullest  esteem  and  confidence.  It  was  repugnant 
to  his  feelings  to  think  that  he  must  engage  in  a  warfare 
against  them  and  against  the  country  of  his  adoption. 
On  the  other  hand  he  could  not  forget  his  obligations  to 
his  King,  to  whose  favor  was  due  his  success.  His  sov- 
ereign had  bestowed  upon  him  honor,  distinction  and 
vast  wealth,  and  gratitude  alone  would  lead  him  to 
espouse  the  cause  of  his  friendly  monarch.  While  thus 
distressed  by  his  trying  position  he  one  day  said  to  a 
friend  that  he  should  never  live  to  see  the  Colonies  and 
the  mother  country  in  a  state  of  open  war.  Soon  after, 
while  at  a  court  then  in  session  in  Johnstown,  he  receiv- 
ed a  packet  from  England,  (instructing  him,  it  is  said,  to 
secure  the  alliance  of  the  Indians  with  the  crown,  in 
case  of  a  war,)  and  immediately  went  to  his  home.  His 
death  occurred  soon  after,  and  before  the  rising  of  the 
court.  While  the  circumstances  attending  this  sudden 
ending  of  his  life  might  justify  the  suspicion  of  self- 
destruction,  this  theory  is  rejected  by  those  who  have 
patiently  investigated  the  question,  and  the  explanation 
most  generally  accepted  is  that  his  mental  anxiety  and 
distress  brought  on  an  attack  of  apoplexy,  and  thus  ended 
a  life  already  well  advanced.* 


*  Col.  Stone  rejects  both  the  theory  of  suicide,  and  the  inference  that  Sir 
William  was  embarrassed  as  to  the  course  he  should  pursue.  He  had  but 
recently  returned  from  a  visit  to  England,  and  Stone  says  that  "  he  probably 
came  back  with  his  loyal  feelings  somewhat  strengthened." 


30  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign. 

Sir  John  Johnson  succeeded  to  the  title  and  estates  of 
Sir  William,  and  Colonel  Guy  Johnson  was  made  gen- 
eral superintendent  of  Indian  affairs,  the  position  which 
the  deceased  baronet  had  so  long  filled  with  signal  ability 
and  success.  Perhaps  there  is  no  doubt  as  to  what  Sir 
William's  position  would  have  been,  had  he  lived,  but 
there  is  reason  to  suppose  that  he  would  not  have 
encouraged  the  savage  and  cruel  warfare  waged  on  the 
frontier  settlements,  which  found  favor  with  his  son  and 
nephew,  who  in  some  degree  inherited  his  influence,  but 
lacked  his  ability  and  many  virtues.  They  had  no 
hesitation  in  supporting  the  cause  of  the  King,  and  their 
wealth  and  power  were  freely  used  against  the  Colonists. 
Surrounding  them  on  their  broad  domain  were  many 
Scotch  tenants  whom  they  armed,  and  with  their  adhe- 
rents, Colonel  John  Butler,*  his  son  Walter  Butler,  and 
Joseph  Brant,  the  Mohawk  chieftain,  they  waged  a 
relentless  war  on  the  scattered  and  feeble  settlements, 
which  made  their  names  a  terror  throughout  the  border, 
and  consigned  the  leaders  to  lasting  infamy  for  acts  of 
cruelty  which  rivaled  even  those  of  their  savage  fol- 
lowers. 

Joseph  Brant,  (Thayendanegea),  took  a  conspicuous 
part  in  the  events  of  which  this  volume  treats.  He  was 
a  noted  chieftain  of  the  Mohawk  tribe,  but  the  date  of 
his  birth  and  his  parentage  are  mooted  questions.  One 
writer  has  said  that  he  was  a  Mohawk,  born  on  the  Ohio, 
whither  his  parents  had  emigrated,  and  Colonel  Stone 
accepts  this  theory,  but  Draper  assumes  that  he  was  a 
native  Cherokee,  of  whom  there  were  many  among  the 

*  Colonel  John  Butler  was  the  son  of  an  Irish  Lieutenant  who  settled  in 
New  York  in  1711,  and  became  the  owner  of  a  large  landed  estate  in  the 
Mohawk  valley.  Sir  William  Johnson,  in  1755,  procured  commissions  for  John 
Butler  and  his  brother  Walter,  and  they  accompanied  him  in  his  expedition 
against  Crown  Point.  In  the  action  of  the  8th  of  September,  Walter  Butler 
was  killed,  but  John  escaped.  The  Walter  Butler  of  the  Revolution  was  a 
son  of  Colonel  John,  and  nephew  of  the  Walter  Butler  killed  at  Crown  Point. 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign.  31 

Iroquois,  captives  and  their  descendants.  He  was  a 
protege  of  Sir  William  Johnson,  who  sent  him  to  Dr. 
Wheelock's  school  at  Lebanon,  Connecticut,  and  after 
educating  him,  gave  him  employment  in  public  business. 
He  acquired  great  influence  in  his  tribe,  and  being  a 
man  of  strong  passions  and  great  sagacity,  he  was  a 


JOSEPH   BRANT. 
(From  a  Painting  by  Catlin.) 

formidable  foe.  After  the  war  he  made  his  home  in 
Upper  Canada,  where  he  translated  a  portion  of  the  New 
Testament  into  the  Mohawk  tongue,  and  busied  himself 
in  other  ways  in  advancing  the  interests  of  his  people. 
Taking  the  active  part  he  did  in  the  Revolutionary 
struggle,  his  name  often  appears  in  the  history  of  its 
events,  not  always  perhaps  with  strict  justice,  as  it  has 
been  the  habit  to  paint  him  blacker  than  he  really  was. 
He  was  often  cruel  and  vindictive,  it  is  true,  but  it 
should  be  remembered  that  notwithstanding  his  advan- 
tages, he  was  still  a  savage,  with  all  the  instincts  of  a 
savage  nature.  It  must  be  conceded,  too,  that  his  white 


32  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign. 

allies  often  exceeded  him  in  cruelty,  and  many  of  the 
dark  deeds  laid  at  Brant's  door  are  justly  chargeable  to 
those  of  whom  better  things  were  to  be  expected. 
Campbell  says  of  him  that  "  combining  the  natural  saga- 
city of  the  Indian  with  the  skill  and  science  of  the  civil- 
ized man,  he  was  a  formidable  foe."  Cruel  and  passionate 
as  he  was  in  war,  in  his  intercourse  with  others  "  he  was 
affable  and  polite."  Brant  was  jealous  of  his  character, 
and  claimed  that  he  had  often  urged  the  Indians  to  be 
humane,  and  to  spare  the  women  and  children.  Where 
he  had  exclusive  command  this  was  often  done.  Camp- 
bell is  authority  for  the  statement  that  at  Cherry  Valley 
Brant  secretly  incited  the  massacre,  according  to  the 
allegation  of  Colonel  Butler,  in  order  to  stigmatize  the 
latter's  son,  who  had  superseded  Brant  in  command,  but 
Brant  stoutly  denied  the  charge.  The  same  writer  says : 
"  Whatever  may  have  been  the  motives  and  conduct  of 
Brant,  it  will  not  wipe  away  the  stain  from  the  character 
of  Walter  Butler."  At  Cherry  Valley  he  refused  to 
allow  friends  to  be  notified  of  danger,  lest  they  should 
alarm  others.  Thus  he  sacrificed  his  friends  that  he 
might  punish  his  enemies,  While  on  a  raid  in  the  Mo- 
hawk Valley  in  August,  1781,  Walter  Butler  was  killed, 
an  Oneida  tomahawking  and  scalping  him  as  he  suppli- 
cated for  that  mercy  which  he  had  never  shown. 

Brant  was  strongly  attached  to  the  Johnsons,  and 
eagerly  espoused  the  cause  of  the  loyalists  when  the 
struggle  commenced,  and  when  the  Iroquois  broke  their 
plighted  faith,  he  led  the  savages  in  their  many  expedi- 
tions against  the  settlements.  He  continued  thus  the 
great  chief  of  the  Iroquois  to  the  close  of  the  war,  and 
will  be  found,  as  the  fortunes  of  the  brave  Sullivan  and 
his  army  are  followed,  commanding  the  Indian  forces, 
inspiring  them  by  his  spirit  and  bravery,  and  after  the 
defeat  at  Newtown,  vainly  endeavoring  to  induce  them 
to  stand  and  give  battle  again  to  the  advancing  enemy. 


CHAPTER  II. 

OUTBREAK   OF   THE   REVOLUTION  —  INDIAN   HOSTILITIES. 

THE  frequent  border  wars  had  given  the  Colonists  a 
thorough  knowledge  of  the  Indian  character,  and 
taught  them  to  dread  him  a$  a  foe.  On  the  outbreak 
of  the  Revolution,  therefore,  they  naturally  felt  great 
anxiety  as  to  the  attitude  of  the  Indian  tribes  with  which 
they  were  surrounded,  and  especially  were  they  con- 
cerned about  the  Iroquois,*  whose  favor  was  worth  the 
courting,  whose  enmity  was  more  to  be  feared  than 
thrice  their  number  of  civilized  foes.  This  anxiety  was 
aggravated  by  the  hostility  which  the  Johnsons  and  their 
adherents  early  manifested.  Knowing  the  powerful  in- 
fluence which  these  men  exerted  over  the  Iroquois,  it  was 
felt  that  the  peace  and  safety  of  the  borders  were  subject 
to  constant  menace,  and  that  at  any  time  this  baneful  in- 
fluence might  bring  ruin  and  destruction  to  the  peaceful 
settlements.  How  well  founded  these  fears  were,  subse- 
quent events  too  sadly  proved.  The  worst  forebodings 
of  the  people  were  realized,  as  often  when  least  expected 
the  savage  foe,  led  on  by  Brant  and  the  Butlers,  stealthily 
approached  their  settlements,  pillaged  and  burned  their 
homes,  and  massacred  the  inhabitants  or  drove  them 
away  to  a  hopeless  captivity,  perhaps  to  suffer  the  most 
cruel  torture  which  savage  ingenuity  could  invent. 

The  whole  Province  of  New  York  at  this  time,  west 
of  a  line  running  north  and   south  nearly  through  the 

*  "  In  consequence  of  the  superior  social  and  political  organization  *  *  * 
and  the  Spartan-like  character  incident  to  the  forest  life,  the  Six  Nations, 
though  not  the  most  numerous,  were  beyond  a  doubt  the  most  formidable,  of 
the  tribes  then  in  arms  in  behalf  of  the  crown." — Stone's  Life  of  Brant. 


34  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign. 

center  of  the  present  county  of  Schoharie,  was  called 
Tryon  county,  in  honor  of  William  Tryon,  then  the 
provincial  governor.  Its  population  was  but  a  few 
thousand  souls,  and  its  settlements  few  and  widely  scat- 
tered. Various  causes,  but  mainly  the  presence  of  the 
Indians,  had  prevented  the  rapid  growth  of  the  province, 
and  it  was  not  until  after  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary 
war  that  any  considerable  advance  was  made  westward. 
The  population  of  the  whole  province  in  1774,  was  esti- 
mated at  only  182,247,  of  whom  20,000  were  blacks,  and 
Tryon  county,  erected  in  1772,  marked  the  extreme 
western  verge  of  civilization.  The  principal  settlements 
were  along  the  Mohawk,  and  to  the  south  of  that  stream, 
except  Johnstown  and  one  or  two  others,  which  were 
north  of  the  river.  The  county  was  divided  into  five 
districts,  the  first,  known  as  the  Mohawk  district,  em- 
bracing Fort  Hunter,  Caughnawaga,  Johnstown  and 
Kingsborough.  The  Canajoharie  district  included  that 
place,  Cherry  Valley,  Harpersfield,  and  all  the  country 
south.  The  Palatine  district  was  north  of  the  Mohawk, 
and  the  German  Flats  and  Kingsland  districts  embraced 
the  extreme  western  settlements.  The  county  buildings 
were  at  Johnstown.  German  Flats  still  retains  its  name, 
enabling  the  reader  to  readily  distinguish  the  greatest 
advance  westward  which  the  settlements  had  made  at 
that  remote  period. 

Beyond  these  settlements  there  stretched  away  to  the 
westward  a  vast  wilderness,  almost  unknown  and  unex- 
plored, reaching  to  the  present  western  border  of  the 
State.  Here  the  Iroquois  held  undisputed  possession, 
and  save  when  visited  by  an  occasional  missionary  or 
trader,  or  when  traversed  by  the  armies  of  contending 
foes,  the  feet  of  white  men  never  voluntarily  trod  its  In- 
dian trails,  and  their  eyes  never  saw  the  beauty  of  its 
lakes  and  valleys,  or  the  grandeur  of  its  hills  and  far- 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign.  35 

reaching  forests.  It  was  a  primeval  wilderness,  broken 
only  by  the  forts  at  Niagara  and  Oswego,  and  but  for 
the  stirring  events  of  the  Revolution,  which  served  to 
bring  it  into  notice,  and  to  break  the  power  of  the 
Indians,  it  must  have  remained  the  home  alone  of  the 
Iroquois  many  years  longer  than  it  did. 

In  enunciating  those  principles  of  civil  liberty  which 
placed  the  Colonies  in  antagonism  with  the  mother 
country,  and  precipitated  the  Revolutionary  war,  New 
York  bore  no  secondary  part.  Her  people  were  among 
the  first  to  make  declaration  of  their  rights,  and  to  pro- 
test against  the  usurpations  and  unjust  exactions  of  the 
crown.  Indeed,  as  has  recently  been  shown,  with  all 
the  warmth  and  eloquence  of  a  justifiable  state  pride, 
New  York  was  far  in  advance  of  her  sister  provinces  in 
resisting  the  encroachments  of  despotism  and  in  the 
assertion  of  those  doctrines  which  marked  the  birth  of 
civil  liberty  in  America.  As  early  as  1708  she  declared 
that  "it  is,  and  always  has  been,  the  unquestionable 
right  of  every  freeman  in  this  colony,  that  he  hath  a 
perfect  and  entire  property  in  his  goods  and  estate," 
and  resolved  that  the  imposition  of  taxes  without  the 
consent  of  the  people  in  general  assembly  was  "  a  griev- 
ance and  a  violation  of  the  people's  property."  And 
when  the  repeated  wrongs  done  the  Colonies  could  no 
longer  be  endured,  New  York  was  as  ready  to  sustain, 
with  force  of  arms,  the  position  she  had  taken,  as  New 
England  or  Virginia. 

In  the  immediate  territory,  however,  with  which  this 
work  deals,  governing  causes  existed  unfavorable  to  the 
Colonies.  Sir  William  Johnson's  influence  was  widely 
felt,  as  all  those  about  him,  neighbors,  dependants  and 
Indians  alike,  attached  to  his  opinions  great  weight. 
Thus  many  were  led  to  look  with  disfavor  upon  the 
cause  of  the  Colonies,  and  when  hostilities  actually  com- 


36  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign. 

menced,  a  considerable  number  of  the  inhabitants  of 
Tryon  county  attached  themselves  to  the  King.  Sir 
John  Johnson  and  Colonel  Guy  Johnson  early  exercised 
all  the  influence  which  had  come  to  them  through  Sir 
William,  to  prejudice  the  settlers  and  awaken  in  the 
Indians  a  feeling  of  animosity  for  the  Colonists. 

Meanwhile  those  friendly  to  the  Colonies  were  busy 
in  showing  their  sympathy  for  the  cause  and  taking 
means  for  co-operation  and  mutual  assistance.  On  the 
27th  of  August,  1774,  a  large  meeting  of  the  inhabitants 
of  the  Palatine  district  was  held,  and  resolutions  adopted 
breathing  a  spirit  of  indomitable  courage  and  independ- 
ence, and  approving  the  calling  of  a  continental  congress. 

In  the  spring  of  1775,  while  court  was  sitting  at  Johns- 
town, a  paper  was  circulated  by  the  loyalists  of  the 
county,  avowing  their  opposition  to  the  measures  of  the 
continental  congress,  which  had  met  in  Philadelphia  the 
previous  September.  This  was  the  cause  of  much  alter- 
cation, but  most  of  the  grand  jury  and  the  magistrates 
attached  their  names  to  the  paper.  These  persons  were 
principally  the  Johnsons  and  their  followers,  the  But- 
lers, Colonel  Claus,  and  dependants  of  these  men.  This 
action  immediately  aroused  the  people  of  the  entire 
county.  Already  they  were  prepared  to  declare  boldly 
their  principles,  and  those  who  favored  the  cause  of  the 
Colonies  immediately  held  meetings  and  appointed  com- 
mittees in  all  the  districts  of  the  county  to  secure  concert 
of  action  and  mutual  aid  and  protection. 

At  a  meeting  held  at  Caughnawaga,  three  hundred 
men  were  assembled  to  give  expression  to  the  sentiments 
which  filled  their  breasts.  Here  Colonel  Guy  Johnson 
used  his  influence  to  induce  the  people  to  disperse,  tell- 
ing them  of  the  great  power  and  resources  of  the 
crown,  and  denouncing  in  bitterest  terms  those  who 
favored  the  cause  of  the  patriots.  One,  Jacob  Sammons, 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign.  37 

unable  to  restrain  his  feelings,  called  Johnson  a  "  liar 
and  scoundrel/'  and  a  scuffle  ensued,  in  which  Sammons 
was  severely  handled.  After  the  loyalists  retired,  Sam- 
mons was  carried  home,  "  bearing  on  his  own  body 
the  first  scars  of  the  Revolutionary  contest  in  Tryon 
county."  In  May  a  similar  meeting  was  held  at  Cherry 
Valley,  and  the  little  church  wherein  it  was  held  was 
filled  with  people.  "  Parents  took  their  children  with 
them,  that  they  might  early  breathe  the  air  of  freedom, 
and  that  their  first  lispings  might  be  in  favor  of  the 
liberties  of  their  country."  At  these  meetings  articles 
of  association  were  adopted  and  very  generally  signed, 
reciting  the  opposition  of  the  Colonies  to  the  oppressive 
and  arbitrary  acts  of  Parliament,  and  approving  the 
course  of  the  Continental  Congress,  to  which  they 
pledged  a  hearty  support  and  allegiance. 

The  Palatine  committee,  on  the  i8th  of  May  addressed 
the  Albany  committee  a  letter,  giving  an  account  of 
matters  in  Tryon  county,  in  which  they  wrote  that  the 
district  they  represented  had  been  "  foremost  in  avowing 
its  attachment  to  liberty,  and  approving  the  method  of 
opposition  adopted  in  America."  They  were  met  by 
difficulties,  however,  and  the  committee  said  that  "This 
county  has  for  a  series  of  years  been  ruled  by  one 
family,  the  different  branches  of  which  are  still  strenu- 
ous in  dissuading  people  from  coming  into  congressional 
measures,  and  even  here,  last  week,  at  a  numerous  meet- 
ing of  the  Mohawk  district,  appeared  with  all  their 
dependents  armed  to  oppose  the  people  considering  of 
their  grievances ;  their  number  being  so  large,  and  the 
people  unarmed,  struck  terror  into  most  of  them,  and 
they  dispersed." 

It  was  also  said  that  Johnson  Hall  was  being  fortified 
by  placing  swivel  guns  around  it,  and  Colonel  Johnson 
was  busily  engaged  in  training  the  militia  under  his 


38  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign. 

command.  A  promise  was  made  to  watch  the  Indians, 
and  the  committee  closed  by  saying  that  though  few  in 
numbers,  the  people  were  none  the  less  attached  to 
American  liberty,  were  ready  to  carry  into  execution 
every  recommendation  of  the  continental  congress,  and 
were  fixedly  determined  "to  be  free  or  die." 

It  soon  became  evident  that  not  only  the  Johnsons 
and  their  dependents  were  hostile  to  the  Colonies,  but 
that  there  was  danger  of  the  Indians  joining  them.  A 
letter  was  discovered  signed  by  Joseph  Brant,  who  was 
then  Colonel  Guy  Johnson's  private  secretary,  and  by 
four  other  chiefs,  addressed  to  the  Oneidas,  which  read 

as  follows: 

"Written  at  Guy  Johnson's,  May,  1775. 

"  This  is  your  letter,  you  great  ones  (or  sachems). 
"  Guy  Johnson  says  he  will  be  glad  if  you  get  this 
"  intelligence,  you  Oneidas,  how  it  goes  with  him  now, 
"  and  he  is  now  more  certain  concerning  the  intention 
"  of  the  Boston  people.  Guy  Johnson  is  in  great  fear  of 
"  being  taken  prisoner  by  the  Bostonians.  We  Mohawks 
"  are  obliged  to  watch  him  constantly.  Therefore  we 
4i  send  you  this  intelligence  that  you  shall  know  it,  and 
"  Guy  Johnson  assures  himself,  and  depends  upon  your 
"  coming  to  his  assistance,  and  that  you  will  without 
"  fail  be  of  that  opinion.  He  believes  not  that  you  will 
"  assent  to  let  him  suffer.  We  therefore  expect  you  in 
"  a  couple  of  days'  time.  So  much  at  present.  We  send 
"  but  so  far  as  to  you  Oneidas,  but  afterward  perhaps  to 
"  all  the  other  nations.  We  conclude  and  expect  that 
"  you  will  have  concern  about  our  ruler,  Guy  Johnson, 
"  because  we  are  all  united." 

This  fear  on  the  part  of  Guy  Johnson  that  he  was  to 
be  made  a  prisoner  by  the  Colonists  must  have  been 
wholly  feigned,  as  there  appears  to  have  been  no  inten- 
tion on  their  part  to  molest  him  at  this  time.  It  answered 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign.  39 

his  purpose,  however,  which  was  to  make  the  Indians 
believe  that  the  man  to  whom,  because  he  was  a  John- 
son, and  filled  the  place  of  their  life-long  friend,  the 
dead  baronet,  they  were  strongly  attached,  was  going 
to  be  made  the  victim  of  hostile  demonstrations,  and 
thus  awaken  their  animosity  against  the  settlers.  At 
the  same  time  Johnson  was  busy  among  those  in  the 
settlements  whom  he  could  hope  to  influence,  and  in 
furtherance  of  his  plans  he  addressed  the  following 
letter  to  the  magistrates  and  leading  persons  in  the 
upper  districts  of  the  county : 

GUY  PARK,  May  20,  1775. 

"  GENTLEMEN  : — I  have  lately  repeated  accounts  that 
"  a  body  of  New  Englanders,  or  others,  were  to  come 
"  and  seize,  and  carry  away  my  person,  and  attack  our 
"  family,  under  color  of  malicious  insinuations  that  I 
"  intended  to  set  the  Indians  upon  the  people.  Men  of 
"  sense  and  character  know  that  my  office  is  of  the 
"  highest  importance  to  promote  peace  among  the  Six 
"  Nations,  and  prevent  them  entering  into  any  such 
"  disputes.  This  I  effected  last  year,  when  they  were 
"  much  vexed  about  the  attack  on  the  Shawnees,  and  I 
"  last  winter  appointed  them  to  meet  me  this  month,  to 
"  receive  the  answer  of  the  Virginians.  All  men  must 
"  allow  that  if  the  Indians  find  their  council  fire  dis- 
"  turbed,  and  their  superintendent  insulted,  they  will 
"  take  a  dreadful  revenge.  It  is  therefore  the  duty  of  all 
"  the  people  to  prevent  this,  and  to  satisfy  any  who  may 
"  have  been  imposed  upon,  that  the  suspicions  and  alle- 
"  gations  they  have  collected  against  me  are  false,  and 
"  inconsistent  with  my  character  and  office.  I  recom- 
"  mend  this  to  you  as  highly  necessary  at  this  time, 
"  as  my  regard  for  the  interests  of  the  country  and 
"  self-preservation  has  obliged  me  to  fortify  my  house, 


4O  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign. 

"  and  keep  men  armed  for  my  defence,  till  these  idle 
"  and  malicious  reports  are  removed." 

Thus  under  the  pretence  that  his  own  safety  was 
threatened,  he  was  drawing  around  him  a  large  force  of 
armed  men,  and  preparing  for  an  active  participation  in 
the  measures  of  the  crown  to  crush  the  revolution. 
Meanwhile,  by  intrigue  and  secret  measures,  he  was  en- 
deavoring, in  the  face  of  his  high-sounding  professions, 
to  incite  the  Indians  to  take  up  arms  against  the  settlers, 
and  already  might  have  boasted  of  considerable  success. 

The  Palatine  committee,  having  secured  these  letters, 
condemned  in  terms  of  great  severity  Guy  Johnson's 
course  in  surrounding  himself  with  armed  Indians,  forti- 
fying his  house,  and  "  stopping  and  searching  travellers 
upon  the  King's  highway."  They  again  addressed  the 
Albany  committee,  stating  that  Johnson  was  surrounded 
by  five  hundred  armed  men,  that  he  had  stopped  all 
communication  between  Tryon  and  Albany  counties,  a 
blockade  which  they  proposed  to  force  if  possible,  and 
that  he  had  invited  the  other  Indians  to  go  to  his  neigh- 
borhood, that  he  might  win  their  support.  The  com- 
mittee said,  "  We  are,  gentlemen,  in  a  worse  situation 
than  any  part  of  America  is  at  present.  We  have  an 
open  enemy  before  our  faces,  and  treacherous  friends  at 
our  backs."  The  Albany  committee  replied  by  urging 
mild  measures,  and  discountenanced  the  attempt  to  open 
communication  with  Albany.  The  municipal  officers  of 
Albany  also  addressed  a  conciliatory  letter  to  Guy 
Johnson,  regretting  that  reports  prejudicial  to  him  had 
been  circulated,  and  trusting  that  he  would  "  pursue  the 
dictates  of  an  honest  heart,  and  study  the  interests, 
peace  and  welfare  of  his  country." 

He  was  also  assured  that  there  was  not,  nor  had  there 
been,  any  intention  of  taking  him  captive  or  offering  him 
any  indignity  whatever,  either  by  the  people  of  New 
England  or  the  inhabitants  of  Albany. 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign.  41 

The  Indians  met  in  council,  in  accordance  with  the 
invitation  of  Guy  Johnson,  at  his  home,  on  the  25th  of 
May,  1775.  At  this  council  the  Iroquois  seem  to  have 
been  represented  only  by  the  Mohawks.  Delegates  were 
also  present  from  Albany  and  Tryon  counties.  Here 
only  the  most  amicable  feelings  were  manifested.  Little 
Abraham,  a  Mohawk  chief,  said  he  "  was  glad  to  meet 
them  and  to  hear  the  reports  concerning  taking  Guy 
Johnson,  their  superintendent,  were  false.  The  Indians 
do  not  wish  to  have  a  quarrel  with  the  inhabitants. 
During  Sir  William  Johnson's  life  time,  and  since,  we 
have  been  peaceably  disposed.  The  Indians  are  alarmed 
on  account  of  the  reports  that  our  powder  was  stopped. 
We  get  our  things  from  the  superintendent.  If  we  lived 
as  you  do,  it  would  not  be  so  great  a  loss.  If  our  am- 
munition is  stopped  we  shall  distrust  you.  We  are 
pleased  to  hear  you  say  you  will  communicate  freely, 
and  we  will  at  all  times  listen  to  what  you  say  in  presence 
of  our  superintendent."  The  delegates  having  responded 
with  expressions  of  friendship,  and  a  promise  that  when- 
ever they  had  business  with  the  Indians  they  would 
apply  at  the  council  fires,  and  in  the  presence  of  their 
superintendent,  the  Mohawks  replied,  "  The  Indians  are 
glad  that  you  are  not  surprised  we  cannot  spare  Colonel 
Johnson.  The  love  we  have  for  the  memory  of  Sir 
William  Johnson,  and  the  obligations  the  whole  Six  Na- 
tions are  under  to  him,  must  make  us  regard  and  protect 
every  branch  of  his  family."  The  council  broke  up  with 
apparently  good  feeling  on  both  sides,  and  it  was  hoped 
that  the  amicable  relations  existing  between  the  whites 
and  the  Indians  might  continue.  But,  as  might  be  sup- 
posed, the  results  of  the  council  were  not  such  as  Guy 
Johnson  had  hoped  or  looked  for,  though,  still  pursuing 
his  dissembling  policy,  he  professed  to  be  anxious  to 
secure  the  peace  of  the  settlements.  He  called  another 

4 


42  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign. 

council  to  meet  in  the  extreme  western  part  of  the 
county,  and  under  the  pretence  of  going  to  meet  the 
Indians,  he  removed  his  family  and  followers  to  the 
house  of  Mr.  Thomson,  in  Cosby's  Manor,  a  little  above 
German  Flats,  commencing  thus  a  journey  that  was  to 
end  only  in  the  ultimate  removal  of  his  whole  retinue  to 
Canada,  there  to  be  employed  in  furthering  the  English 
cause.  At  Cosby's  Manor  he  replied  to  a  letter  addressed 
to  him  by  the  Tryon  county  committee,  in  which  he 
made  a  long  defence  of  his  course,  denied  that  he  had 
influenced  the  Indians  to  assume  a  hostile  attitude,  and 
justified  his  action  in  fortifying  his  house  and  surround- 
ing himself  with  armed  retainers.  He  concluded  his 
letter  by  assuring  the  people  "  of  a  county  that  he  re- 
garded," that  they  had  nothing  to  apprehend  from  "  his 
endeavors,  but  that  he  should  always  be  glad  to  promote 
their  true  interests." 

Soon  after  this  Guy  Johnson  removed  to  Fort  Stanwix, 
and  thence  to  Ontario,  (Oswego),  followed  by  the  But- 
lers and  many  loyalists,  as  well  as  by  Brant  at  the  head 
of  a  formidable  body  of  Mohawks.* 

From  here  he  addressed  a  letter  on  the  8th  of  July,  to 
the  President  of  the  New  York  congress,  evincing  un- 
swerving loyalty  to  the  King,  and  reiterating  his  denial 
of  a  purpose  to  harm  the  people  of  the  settlements. 
Nevertheless  he  soon  departed  to  Montreal,  and  making 
that  the  base  of  his  operations,  became  actively  engaged 


*  Few  of  the  Mohawks  returned  to  their  native  homes  upon  the  banks  of 
that  river  which  bears  their  name.  The  graves  of  their  ancestors  were  aban- 
doned. Their  council  fires  were  extinguished.  Every  movement  indicated  the 
gathering  of  that  storm  so  much  dreaded,  and  which  afterward  burst  with  such 
desolating  effects  upon  the  inhabitants  of  this  defenceless  frontier.  Those 
inhabitants  had  the  satisfaction  of  reflecting  that  it  was  a  calamity  which  they 
had  not  called  down  upon  themselves,  but  which  they  had  labored  with  all  their 
powers  to  avert.  They  had  proffered  to  their  red  brethren  the  Calumet  of 
Peace  though  in  vain. — Annals  of  Tryon  County. 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign.  43 

in  enlisting  the  Indians  in  a  warfare,  principally  against 
his  former  neighbors.  Here  he  distributed  presents  to 
the  tribes  as  the  almoner  of  England,  and  conducted  his 
intrigues  until  his  influence  and  cunning  overcame  the 
scruples  that  the  Indians  had  in  breaking  the  pledges 
they  had  made  at  Albany  and  German  Flats,  and  won 
their  consent  to  go  upon  the  war-path  in  behalf  of  his 
monarch. 

On  the  28th  of  June  a  conference  was  held  with  the 
Oneidas  and  Tuscaroras  at  German  Flats.  The  Rev. 
Samuel  Kirkland,  missionary  to  the  Oneidas,  had  previ- 
ously exerted  his  influence  with  that  tribe  to  persuade 
them  to  observe  a  strict  neutrality  in  the  coming  strug- 
gle. At  this  last  conference,  when  both  tribes  were 
present,  delegates  from  Albany  and  the  inhabitants  of 
the  district  met  them.  Here,  after  the  addresses  by  the 
delegates,  the  most  of  the  Oneidas  promised  to  remain 
neutral,  and  this  pledge  they  kept  faithfully,  although  a 
few  joined  the  British.  They  did  more  than  this.  They 
freely  offered  their  services  to  the  Americans,  but  these 
offers  were  kindly  yet  firmly  declined.  It  is  to  the  last- 
ing credit  of  the  Colonists,  that  they  thus  refused  to  em- 
ploy savage  allies  against  their  foes.  Better  would  it 
have  been  for  England  had  she  done  likewise.  Many  of 
the  Oneidas,  however,  rendered  important  service  as 
guides  and  in  notifying  the  inhabitants  of  the  scattered 
settlements  of  the  approach  of  danger.  Among  these 
was  Skenando,  who  earned  the  title  of  "  white  man's 
friend." 

The  importance  of  securing  the  alliance,  or,  at  least, 
the  neutrality  of  the  Indians  during  the  impending 
conflict,  had  meanwhile  attracted  the  attention  of  the 
colonial  congress,  and  that  body,  on  the  I2th  of  July, 
1775,  determined  to  establish  three  departments  of  In- 
dian affairs.  The  Northern  department  included  the 


44  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign. 

Six  Nations  and  all  tribes  north  of  them.  The  commis- 
sioners who  had  charge  of  these  departments  were  em- 
powered "  to  treat  with  the  Indians  in  their  respective 
departments,  to  preserve  peace  and  friendship,  and  to 
prevent  them  taking  any  part  in  the  present  commotion." 

The  commissioners  for  the  northern  department  were 
Major-General  Philip  Schuyler,  Major  Joseph  Hawley, 
Turbot  Francis,  Oliver  Wolcott  and  Volkert  P.  Douw, 
and  these  commissioners,  with  the  exception  of  Major 
Hawley,  who  declined  to  serve  on  account  of  ill-health, 
held  a  treaty  with  the  Six  Nations  at  Albany  in  August, 
1775.  Two  of  the  commissioners,  Douw  and  Francis, 
met  representatives  of  the  tribes  at  German  Flats  on  the 
1 5th  of  August,  there  acquainted  them  with  their  purpose 
and  authority,  and  invited  them  to  a  council  at  Albany, 
the  "  ancient  place  of  treaties."  On  the  23d,  the  sachems 
and  chiefs  of  the  several  tribes  met  at  Albany,  and  dur- 
ing that  and  the  following  days  until  the  25th,  the  time 
was  spent  in  the  exchange  of  those  courtesies  and  cere- 
monies which  usage  prescribed  on  such  occasions.  On 
the  latter  day,  the  council  fire  having  been  lighted,  nego- 
tiations were  commenced,  the  united  colonies  being 
represented  by  the  colonial  commissioners  and  by  the 
Albany  committee.  The  proceedings  were  witnessed 
by  the  leading  citizens  of  the  town.  The  negotiations 
continued  until  the  ist  of  September,  in  the  course  of 
which  the  Indians  were  informed  of  the  nature  of  the 
quarrel  between  the  Colonies  and  the  mother  country, 
and  the  desire  of  the  Colonists  for  peaceable  relations 
with  the  Six  Nations.  The  ultimatum  of  the  latter  was 
finally  delivered  by  the  Mohawk  sachem,  Abraham,  as 
follows : 

"  Now  therefore  attend,  and  apply  your  ears  closely. 
"  We  have  fully  considered  this  matter.  The  resolutions 
"of  the  Six  Nations  are  not  to  be  broken  or  altered. 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign.  45 

"  When  they  resolve,  the  matter  is  fixed.  This  then  is 
"  the  determination  of  the  Six  Nations,  not  to  take  any 
"  part,  but  as  it  is  a  family  quarrel,  to  sit  still  and  see  you 
"  fight  it  out.  We  beg  you  will  receive  this  as  infallible, 
"  it  being  our  full  resolution ;  for  we  bear  as  much  affec- 
"  tion  for  the  King  of  England's  subjects  on  the  other 
"  side  of  the  water,  as  we  do  for  you,  born  upon  this 
"  Island.  One  thing  more  we  request,  which  is,  that 
"  you  represent  this  in  a  true  light  to  the  delegates  from 
"  all  the  colonies,  and  not  vary,  and  that  you  observe  the 
"  same  regard  for  truth  when  you  write  to  the  King 
"  about  these  matters  ;  for  we  have  ears,  and  shall  hear, 
"  if  you  represent  anything  in  a  wrong  point  of  light." 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  treaty  a  few  presents  of  small 
value  were  made  to  the  Indians,  who  then  departed. 
This  ended  another  conference  with  the  Iroquois  and  it 
was  believed  that  their  neutrality  was  assured. 

During  this  period  Sir  John  Johnson  appears  to  have  re- 
mained a  passive  spectator  of  the  exciting  events  around 
him.  Desiring,  probably,  to  preserve  and  protect  his  vast 
property,  he  had  assumed  a  neutral  position.  Soon  after 
the  departure  of  Colonel  Guy  Johnson,  however,  his 
house  became  the  resort  of  the  many  loyalists  who  still 
remained,  and  he  was  their  active  leader  in  devising  meas- 
ures to  thwart  the  Try  on  county  committee's  efforts  to 
preserve  the  peace  and  safety  of  the  settlements. 

The  proceedings  of  the  committee  were  ridiculed, 
their  authority  questioned,  efforts  were  made  to  sup- 
plant them  by  other  committees,  and  in  various  ways  the 
loyalists  engendered  strife,  confusion  and  ill-feeling.  It 
was  also  discovered  that  Sir  John  Johnson  was  carrying 
on  a  correspondence,  through  the  Indians,  with  Guy 
Johnson,  and  keeping  him  informed  of  all  the  movements 
of  the  Colonists,  the  letters  being  carried  by  the  Indians 
concealed  in  the  heads  of  their  tomahawks  and  about 


46  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign. 

their  persons.  Subsequently  Sir  John  went  so  far  as  to 
commence  preparations  for  fortifying  Johnson  Hall,  and 
it  was  reported  that  when  this  work  was  completed  he 
would  garrison  the  Hall  with  three  hundred  Indians,  in 
addition  to  the  large  number  of  armed  retainers  with 
whom  he  was  surrounded.  The  people  were  much 
alarmed  by  these  movements. 

Congress  on  the  3Oth  of  December,  1775,  ordered 
General  Schuyler  to  proceed  to  Tryon  county  and  dis- 
arm the  loyalists.  In  the  month  following  he  marched 
into  the  county  with  a  detachment  of  troops,  and 
accompanied  by  General  Ten  Broeck,  Colonel  Varick 
and  others.  General  Herkimer  ordered  out  the  militia, 
and  the  combined  forces  repaired  to  the  vicinity  of 
Johnson  Hall,  and  a  correspondence  was  opened  with 
the  tory  proprietor,  which  resulted  in  his  surrendering 
himself  a  prisoner.  Sir  John  had  mustered  nearly  six 
hundred  men,  mostly  Highlanders,  all  of  whom  were 
disarmed,  and  four  pieces  of  artillery,  together  with  a 
large  quantity  of  ammunition,  were  captured.  The 
dependants  were  paroled,  and  Sir  John  was  sent  to 
Fishkill,  where  he  was  liberated  on  parole.  In  the  fol- 
lowing May,  dishonorably  breaking  his  pledge,  he  went 
to  Montreal,  followed  by  a  large  number  of  his  tenants. 
There  he  organized  a  company  known  as  Johnson's 
Greens,  and  was  during  the  war  a  leader  in  many  preda- 
tory excursions  on  the  border.  The  valuable  properly 
which  he  left  behind  was  confiscated  by  congress  and 
sold.  In  June,  1776,  the  council  fire  was  lighted  again 
at  German  Flats  by  General  Schuyler,  and  the  compact 
between  the  Six  Nations  and  the  Colonies  was  renewed. 
Here  the  tribes  were  more  fully  represented  than  they 
had  been  at  the  Albany  treaty.  The  case  was  restated  to 
them,  the  pipe  of  peace  was  smoked,  and  the  Iroquois 
solemnly  pledged  themselves  that  they  would  take  no 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign.  47 

part  in  the  struggle  already  commenced,  but  would 
maintain  a  strict  neutrality.  "  The  Indians  returned  to 
their  homes  well  pleased  that  they  could  live  on  neutral 
ground,  surrounded  by  the  din  of  war,  without  being 
engaged  in  it."*  This  was  the  second  general  confer- 
ence with  all  the  tribes  of  the  league,  and  resulted  in  all 
that  the  Colonists  had  asked  for,  which  was  simply  that 
the  Indians  wrould  remain  neutral  spectators  of  the 
Revolutionary  struggle. 

In  the  winter  following  this  treaty  a  large  number  of 
Indians  gathered  at  Oquago,  on  the  Susquehanna,  and 
the  Provincial  Congress  ordered  Colonel  John  Harper 
to  visit  them  with  a  letter,  to  ascertain  their  intentions. 
He  arrived  on  the  2/th  of  February,  and  soon  learned 
that  the  Indians  were  peaceably  disposed,  and  the  reports 
of  an  invasion  of  the  settlements  untrue.  The  Indians 
assured  him  of  their  regret  on  account  of  the  troubles 
in  which  the  country  was  involved,  and  said  they  would 
take  no  part  against  it.  Brant  soon  after  came  to  Oquago, 
and  in  June,  1777,  he  went  to  Unadilla  with  some  seventy 
or  eighty  warriors,  where  he  sent  for  the  militia  officers 
of  the  district,  and  informed  them  that  he  was  in  want 
of  provisions,  which  he  must  have,  even  if  he  had  to 
obtain  them  by  force.  He  said  their  agreement  with  the 
King  was  a  strong  one,  and  they  were  not  so  unprin- 
cipled that  they  would  break  it.  He  complained  also 
that  the  Mohawks  who  had  stayed  behind  were  impris- 
oned and  were  not  at  liberty  to  pass  and  repass  as  before. 
He  wanted  those  Mohawks  removed,  lest,  if  the  Western 
Indians  should  come  down  upon  the  settlements,  they 
should  suffer  with  the  rest.  The  inhabitants  supplied 
the  wants  of  Brant  and  his  warriors,  and  they  soon  de- 
parted, but  the  people  friendly  to  the  cause  of  the  Colo- 
nies immediately  removed  their  families  and  property  to 

*  Life  of  Mary  Jamison. 


48  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign. 

more  secure  places.  News  of  the  presence  of  Brant 
having  been  conveyed  to  General  Herkimer,  he  went  in 
July,  to  Unadilla,  at  the  head  of  a  force  of  380  militia, 
where  he  met  Brant  and  130  warriors.  Brant  reiterated 
the  complaints  he  had  made  before,  but  when  asked  if 
he  would  remain  neutral  if  these  things  were  righted/ 
he  replied  that  "  the  Indians  were  in  concert  with  the 
King,  as  their  fathers  and  grandfathers  had  been.  The 
King's  belts  were  yet  lodged  with  them,  and  they  could 
not  falsify  their  pledge.  General  Herkimer  and  the  rest 
had  joined  the  Boston  people  against  the  King.  The 
Boston  people  were  resolute,  but  the  King  would  humble 
them.  Mr.  Schuyler,  or  General,  or  what  you  please  to 
call  him,  was  very  smart  on  the  Indians  at  German  Flats, 
but  was  not  at  the  same  time  able  to  afford  them  the 
smallest  article  of  clothing.  The  Indians  had  formerly 
made  war  on  the  white  people  all  united  ;  and  now  they 
were  divided,  the  Indians  were  not  frightened."  Colonel 
Cox,  who  accompanied  General  Herkimer,  when  he 
heard  Brant's  declaration  that  he  should  adhere  to  the 
cause  of  the  King,  imprudently  remarked  that  if  such 
was  his  determination  that  ended  the  matter.  Brant 
took  offence  at  this  remark  and  spoke  to  his  warriors, 
who  running  to  their  camp  a  mile  distant  raised  the  war- 
whoop,  and  firing  several  guns,  immediately  returned, 
but  Brant  quieted  them  when  General  Herkimer  assured 
him  he  had  not  come  to  fight.  The  chief  was  insolent 
and  threatening,  however,  and  demanded  that  Mr.  Stew- 
art, (the  missionary  to  the  Mohawks),  and  the  wife  of 
Colonel  Butler  should  be  permitted  to  pass  to  the  upper 
Mohawk  castle.  To  this  General  Herkimer  assented, 
but  demanded  that  the  Tories  and  deserters  should  be 
given  up  to  him.  Brant  refused,  and  threatened  to  go 
to  Oswego  and  treat  with  Colonel  Butler.  The  termina- 
tion of  the  interview  was  marked  by  a  singular  occur- 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign.  49 

rence.  "  It  was  early  in  July,  and  the  sun  shone  forth 
without  a  cloud  to  obscure  it,"  when  suddenly  a  violent 
storm  of  hail  and  rain  came  up,  which  drove  each  party 
to  seek  shelter.  "  Men  less  superstitious  than  many  of 
the  unlettered  yeomen  who,  leaning  upon  their  arms, 
were  witnesses  of  the  events  of  the  day,  could  not  have 
failed  in  after  times  to  have  looked  back  upon  them,  if 
not  as  an  omen,  at  least  as  an  emblem  of  those  dreadful 
massacres  with  which  the  Indians  and  their  associates 
afterward  visited  the  inhabitants  of  this  unfortunate 
frontier."* 

At  this  interview  Brant  is  said  to  have  boasted  that  he 
had  a  superior  force  of  five  hundred  warriors  at  his  back, 
and  that  he  could  crush  General  Herkimer  and  his 
forces,  but,  said  he,  "  we  are  old  neighbors  and  friends, 
and  I  will  not  do  it."  He  also  said,  at  the  conclusion  of 
the  interview,  "  we  are  old  friends  :  I  can  do  no  less  than 
to  let  you  return  home  unmolested,  although  you  are 
entirely  within  my  power." 

This  interview  was  the  last  effort  on  the  part  of  the 
Americans  to  prevent  the  Indians  from  engaging  in  the 
war,  and  soon  after  Brant  went,  as  he  had  threatened  to 
do,  to  Oswego.  For  some  time  previous  the  Johnsons 
and  Butlers  had  been  dispatching  runners  to  all  the  tribes 
of  the  Six  Nations,  inviting  them  to  a  great  council  at 
this  place,  and  through  their  constant  intrigue,  misrepre- 
sentation, and  lavish  gifts,  they  succeeded  in  inducing 
the  Indians  to  attend  the  council.  It  was  held  in  the 
month  of  July,  1777,  and  one  authority  states  that  the 
Indians  were  invited  to  "  banquet  on  a  Bostonian  and 
drink  his  blood  !" 

All  the  tribes  were  fully  represented,  and  the  council 
being  opened  the  Indians  were  harangued  by  Walter 


*  Annals  of  Tryon  County. 


50  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign. 

Butler.*  They  were  told  their  services  were  wanted  to 
help  subdue  "  the  rebels,  who  had  taken  up  arms  against 
their  good  father  the  King,  and  were  about  to  rob  him 
of  a  great  part  of  his  possessions  and  wealth."  Ample 
reward,  it  was  hinted,  would  be  made  for  this  service. 
The  chiefs,  in  reply,  stated  the  nature  of  the  treaty  they 
had  made  the  year  previous  with  the  people  of  the  Col- 
onies, and  informed  the  loyalists  that  they  could  not  now 
violate  their  pledges  and  take  up  the  hatchet  against 
them.  The  British  agents  continued  their  importunities, 
but  they  were  wholly  unavailing,  and  it  was  not  until 
the  avarice  of  the  Indians  was  excited,  that  they  showed 
any  signs  of  yielding.  The  Indians  were  assured  that 
the  "  rebels  "  were  few  in  number  and  would  be  easily 
subdued.  They  had  been  disobedient  and  "  richly  de- 
served all  the  punishment  that  it  was  possible  for  white 
men  and  Indians  to  inflict  upon  them.  The  King,  on 
the  other  hand,  they  declared  to  be  rich  and  powerful, 
his  rum  was  as  plenty  as  the  water  in  Lake  Ontario,  and 
his  men  as  numerous  as  the  sands  upon  the  lake  shore. 
More  than  this,  if  the  Indians  would  lend  their  assistance, 
they  should  never  want  for  money  or  goods.  This 
appeal  to  their  avarice  overcame  the  scruples  of  the  In- 
dians, and  with  the  exception  of  the  larger  portion  of 
the  Oneidas,  they  concluded  a  treaty  with  the  British 
agents,  in  which  they  engaged  to  take  up  arms  against 
the  Colonists,  and  continue  in  the  King's  service  until 
they  were  subdued.  Upon  the  conclusion  of  the  treaty 
each  warrior  was  presented  with  a  suit  of  clothes,  a 
brass  kettle,  a  gun,  a  tomahawk,  a  scalping  knife,  a  quan- 
tity of  powder  and  lead,  and  a  piece  of  gold.  The 
crowning  infamy  of  the  British  was  the  promise  of  a 

*  It  has  been  stated  by  other  writers  that  this  speech  was  made  by  Sir  John 
Johnson,  but  the  evidence  seems  clear  that  Butler  made  it. 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign.  5 1 

bounty  on  every  scalp  which  the  Indians  should  bring  in.* 
The  poverty  of  the  Colonies,  and  the  greater  difficul- 
ties which  they  had  to  meet  in  consequence,  is  shown  in 
the  result  of  this  council  with  the  Indians.  At  the  Albany 
and  the  German  Flats  conferences,  the  American  com- 
missioners could  only  appeal  to  the  friendship  of  the 
Indians  ;  they  had  comparatively  nothing  to  give  them. 
No  coffers  of  gold  had  been  placed  at  their  disposal  by 
the  anxious  settlers  who  had  delegated  to  them  the  task 
of  holding  the  Indian  in  check ;  no  large  stores  of 
utensils,  arms,  ammunition  and  clothing  was  theirs  with 
which  to  conciliate  him,  nor  were  they  able  to  assure  the 
warriors  that  the  rum  of  the  Americans  was  as  plenty 
as  the  waters  of  the  lake.  They  had  much  to  ask,  but 
nothing  to  give,  and  the  Indians  were  soon  able  to  see 
that  the  Colonists  were  "  either  very  poor,  or  too  mean 
to  make  them  any  gifts."  Jhe  British  agents  did  not 
hesitate  to  take  advantage  of  this  circumstance,  and  they 
repeatedly  held  up  to  the  view  of  the  Indians  the  pov- 


*  It  appears  by  the  manuscripts  of  General  Gansevoort,  quoted  in  Stone's 
Life  of  Brant,  that  in  September,  1776,  (the  year  preceding  the  above  treaty), 
"  a  grand  Indian  council  was  held  at  Niagara  Falls  by  Colonel  John  Butler, 
and  Lieutenants  Matthews,  Burnit,  and  Kinnesley,  and  Ensign  Butler,  with 
the  Hurons,  Chippewas,  Ottawas,  Pottawatamies,  Mississagas,  Senecas,  Cayugas, 
Onondagas,  Oneidas,  Tuscaroras,  Mohawks,  Delawares,  Nauticokes,  Squagh- 
kies  and  Connoys,  in  the  presence  of  Lieut.-Colonel  John  Caldwell,  then  in 
command  at  Niagara.  It  appears  that  only  one  Oneida  sachem  was  present, 
and  one  Tuscarora.  They  adopted  an  address,  which  was  unanimously  signed 
by  the  chiefs  attending  the  Congress,  declaring  their  intention  to  embark  in 
the  war,  and  abide  the  result  of  the  contest  of  the  King  with  his  people.  They 
made  a  strong  appeal  to  the  Oneidas  and  Tuscaroras,  to  quit  the  Bostonians, 
and  be  strong  and  determined  to  fulfill  their  engagements  to  the  King.  They 
also  exhorted  the  Mohawks  to  be  strong,  and  assured  them  that  they,  and  all  their 
western  brethren,  would  fly  to  their  assistance  at  the  first  call."  I  have  been 
unable  to  discover  any  other  evidence  than  this  of  the'  holding  of  this  council. 
It  was  probably  merely  a  conference  of  those  who  were  already  friendly  to  the 
English  cause,  and  it  was  certainly  barren  of  results,  else  the  Oswego  council 
in  July,  1777,  would  not  have  been  held? 


52  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign. 

erty  and  helplessness  of  the  struggling  Colonists.  Said 
Guy  Johnson  to  them,  in  one  of  his  harangues,  "  are 
they  (the  Americans),  able  to  give  you  anything  more 
than  a  piece  of  bread  and  a  glass  of  rum  ?  Are  you 
willing  to  go  with  them,  and  suffer  them  to  make  horses 
and  oxen  of  you,  to  put  you  into  wheel-barrows,  and  to 
bring  us  all  into  slavery  ?"  In  all  their  dealings  with  the 
tribes  the  British  emissaries  endeavored  to  impress  upon 
the  savage  mind  the  great  power  and  vast  wealth,  the 
mighty  armies  and  exhaustless  resources  of  the  King, 
and  his  readiness  to  reward  with  lavish  hand,  all  who 
supported  his  cause  and  aided  in  punishing  his  enemies. 
It  was  only  this  argument  which  prevailed  with  the  Iro- 
quois,  after  they  had  promised  the  Americans  to  remain 
neutral.  They  resisted  all  other  pleas,  but  an  appeal  to 
their  avarice  and  to  their  love  of  indulgence  overcame 
whatever  scruples  they  had  entertained.  Yet  aside  from 
this  motive  of  self-interest,  there  were  other  causes  which 
doubtless  had  a  strong  influence  in  inducing  the  Six 
Nations  to  pursue  this  course.  For  an  hundred  years 
they  had  been  the  recipients  of  English  bounty,  its 
trusted  agent  had  proved  their  truest  friend,  and  respect 
and  gratitude  exerted  their  influence,  especially  with  the 
Mohawks.  Their  supplies  had  come  from  this  source, 
"and  the  chain  of  their  friendship  had  been  brightened 
by  constant  use."  It  was  not  strange,  therefore,  that 
the  persistent  emissaries  of  the  crown  were  able  to  win 
the  allegiance  of  the  red  men,  nor  should  our  condem- 
nation for  their  breach  of  faith  toward  the  Americans 
be  any  severer  than  that  of  more  civilized  nations  which 
have  broken  as  sacred  obligations.  Indeed,  justice  to  a 
fast  disappearing  race  demands  that  the  character  of  the 
red  man  should  be  painted  in  brighter  colors  than  we 
have  been  wont  to  present  it,  and  that  his  commendable 
features  should  receive  at  least  passing  attention.  That 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign.  53 

in  his  warfare  he  was  cruel,  vindictive  and  unrelenting, 
is  true,  yet  he  fought  only  as  his  wild  untamed  nature 
taught  him  to  fight,  while  it  may  be  said,  with  equal 
truth,  that  his  most  horrible  acts  of  cruelty  may  find 
their  parallel  in  the  deeds  of  white  men,  who,  engaged 
in  the  border  warfare  with  them,  were  often  guilty  of 
the  commission  of  deeds  from  which  even  the  savage 
Indian  shrunk.  On  the  other  hand  the  Indian  warrior 
was  faithful  in  his  friendships,  magnanimous  to  his  foes 
except  when  exasperated,  ready  to  forgive  an  injury 
when  convinced  that  it  was  done  unintentionally,  and  was 
brave,  noble,  devoted,  and  self-sacrificing  in  whatever 
cause  he  espoused.  Had  it  not  been  for  the  powerful 
and  mercenary  influences  which  were  brought  to  bear  on 
the  untutored  savage,  he  might  still  have  remained  the 
friend  of  the  settlers,  such  as  he  had  proved  himself  to 
be  during  long  years  of  peace. 

But  while  this  much  can  be  urged  in  behalf  of  the 
Indians,  there  is  no  palliating  circumstance  to  justify  the 
action  of  the  English  government  in  employing  them 
against  the  colonists  during  the  Revolution.  It  was 
without  a  valid  excuse,  and  has  left  upon  the  page  of 
English  history  a  dark  spot  which  can  never  be  effaced. 
Time  can  soften  the  memory  of  the  wrongs  committed 
by  the  savage,  and  its  healing  influence  may  lead  to  a 
better  feeling  toward  him,  but  the  government  which 
employed  him,  and  the  agents  who  incited  him  to  the 
commission  of  his  dark  deeds  will  ever  remain  under  the 
ban  of  the  shame  and  reproach  which  their  course  so 
richly  deserved.  It  should  be  said,  however,  in  justice 
to  their  memory,  that  there  were  Englishmen  who  could 
not  and  did  not  look  with  favor  on  the  course  of  the 
ministers  in  employing  savage  allies,  and  denounced  the 
measure  in  the  most  bitter  terms.  When  Lord  Suffolk 
announced  in  the  Parliament  that  such  measures  had 


54  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign. 

* 

been  adopted,  William  Pitt's  indignation  burst  forth  with 
all  the  force  and  eloquence  which  have  made  his  name  im- 
mortal, and  his  denunciation  of  the  wrong  caused  even  the 
ministers  to  tremble.  It  was  urged  in  defence  of  the  course 
of  the  ministry  that  it  was  a  retaliatory  measure,  but  this 
was  merely  a  pretence.  At  this  time,  it  is  believed,  the 
Indians  had  neither  been  employed  by  the  Americans 
nor  had  any  plan  for  their  employment  been  considered 
or  adopted  by  the  authorities.  No  suggestion,  even,  had 
been  made  that  their  help  should  be  invoked  by  any  one 
whose  position  or  influencce  would  lead  to  the  belief 
that  he  spoke  with  authority.  Campbell  says  "  it  would 
have  argued  an  extreme  of  weakness  to  have  provoked, 
by  setting  the  example,  the  employment  of  such  a  foe  in 
a  war  which  was  to  be  carried  on  in  their  own  territory, 
and  where,  if  acts  of  cruelty  were  committed,  their  own 
wives  and  children  must  necessarily  be  the  sufferers." 
Even  after  the  larger  portion  of  the  Iroquois  joined  the 
British,  the  repeated  proffers  of  assistance  made  by  the 
Oneidas  were  courteously,  yet  firmly  refused,  nor  were 
they  permitted  to  share  in  the  struggle,  save  as  guides 
or  scouts.  Nevertheless  there  were  commanding  offi- 
cers, General  Sullivan  among  the  number,  who  could  see 
no  impropriety  in  employing  these  savage  allies,  and 
would  have  welcomed  their  aid,  could  it  have  been 
given. 

Colonel  John  Butler  having  followed  Guy  Johnson  to 
Canada,  as  previously  stated,  soon  fixed  his  residence  in 
the  vicinity  of  Niagara,  where  he  became  the  leader  of 
the  Tory  refugees.  Brant,  at  the  same  time,  located  at 
Lewiston,  with  nearly  the  entire  Mohawk  tribe,  and  this 
point  became  the  headquarters  from  whence  emanated 
the  various  predatory  expeditions  to  the  settlements  ot 
the  Mohawk  and  Susquehanna  valleys.  The  plans  were 
here  perfected,  and  then,  having  notified  the  various 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign.  55 

forces  which  were  expected  to  be  engaged,  they  would 
rendezvous  at  some  point  nearer  to  the  ill-fated  settle- 
ment they  expected  to  visit.  If  the  valley  of  the  Mo- 
hawk was  the  objective  point,  the  bands  of  Tories  and 
Indians  would  generally  gather  at  Oswego.  If,  on  the 
other  hand,  the  evil  eyes  of  the  leaders  were  fixed  on 
the  settlements  nestling  in  the  Susquehanna  valley,  then 
the  rendezvous  was  on  the  Genesee,  Seneca  Lake,  or 
a  branch  of  the  Susquehanna.  Oquago  was  a  favorite 
meeting  place  for  these  hostile  bands,  and  many  expedi- 
tions had  their  inception  there. 

Having  entered  into  an  alliance  with  the  British,  the 
Iroquois  were  eager  to  prove  their  good  faith  to  their 
new  allies.  An  opportunity  soon  presented  itself.  An 
expedition  from  Canada  under  General  Burgoyne,  num- 
bering some  ten  thousand  British  and  Indians  moved 
down  by  the  old  French  and  Indian  war-path  to  Lake 
Champlain,  and  thence,  following  up  his  successes,  to 
the  very  banks  of  the  Hudson.  Having  given  a  grand 
feast  to  the  chiefs  of  the  Six  Nations  at  Crown  Point,  a 
considerable  number  of  the  league  were  induced  to  join 
him.  Meanwhile,  as  a  part  of  this  general  movement, 
Colonel  St.  Leger  had  been  sent  by  another  route  to  lay 
waste  the  Mohawk  valley.  He  was  accompanied  by 
Johnson  and  Butler,  with  their  rangers,  and  Brant,  at 
the  head  of  the  Mohawk  warriors.  These  combined 
forces  laid  siege  to  Fort  Stanwix  (now  Rome)  which  was 
defended  by  two  New  York  regiments  under  Ganse- 
voort  and  Willett.  General  Herkimer,  hastening  to  their 
relief  with  a  body  of  Tryon  county  militia,  fell  into  an 
ambuscade  near  the  fort,  and  the  battle  of  Oriskany  en- 
sued. Colonel  St.  Leger,  on  his  march  from  Oswego, 
had  induced  a  large  force  of  the  Iroquois,  stated  to  have 
been  one  thousand  warriors,  to  join  his  ranks,  not  to 
fight,  but  just  to  sit  down,  smoke  their  pipes  and  look  on 


56  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign, 

while  he  whipped  the  rebels.  After  a  hotly  contested  fight, 
the  British  forces  were  driven  to  their  camp.*  Shortly 
after,  St.  Leger  and  his  forces  fled  in  dismay,  through 
the  alarm  created  by  a  wise  stratagem  employed  by  an- 
other American  force  sent  to  the  relief  of  the  fort. 

The  warfare  was  now  fairly  begun,  and  this  chapter  of 
our  country's  history  is  a  dreary,  dismal  tale  of  murder- 
ous cruelty  and  desolation.  As  has  been  graphically 
written  already,  the  Indians  hung  like  a  "  scythe  of  death" 
on  the  borders  of  New  York  and  Pennsylvania,  and  spread 
the  terror  of  their  names  throughout  the  settlements. 
Springfield,  near  the  head  of  Otsego  lake,  was  soon  laid 
in  ashes  by  Brant ;  Cobbleskill  and  the  various  settle- 
ments of  the  Schoharie  region  felt  his  dread  presence, 
marked  by  the  smouldering  embers  of  the  settlers'  homes, 
and  the  ghastly  forms  of  the  slain  ;  the  whole  Mohawk 
valley  was  repeatedly  traversed  by  the  predatory  bands 
of  Tory  rangers  and  Indians,  and  far  down  into  the 
beautiful  Susquehanna  valley  they  carried  terror,  deso- 
lation and  death.  In  July,  1778,  occurred  the  memorable 
massacre  of  Wyoming,  an  event  which  sent  a  thrill  of  hor- 
ror through  the  colonies,  and  which  to  this  day,  causes  a 
deep  feeling  of  indignation  and  condemnation  when  its 
cruelties  are  called  to  mind.  The  inhabitants  of  this 
valley  were  far  removed  from  the  theatre  of  war,  and 
were  dwelling  in  fancied  security  when  misfortune  came 

*  Mary  Jemison  says,  in  relation  to  this  invitation  of  the  British  commander, 
"  Our  Indians  went  to  a  man  ;  but,  contrary  to  their  expectation,  instead  of 
smoking  and  looking  on,  they  were  obliged  to  fight  for  their  lives  ;  and  in  the  end 
of  the  battle  were  completely  beaten,  with  a  great  loss  in  killed  and  wounded. 
Our  Indians  alone  had  thirty-six  killed,  and  a  great  number  wounded.  Our  town 
exhibited  a  scene  of  real  sorrow  and  distress,  when  our  warriors  returned, 
recounted  their  misfortunes,  and  stated  the  real  loss  they  had  sustained  in  the 
engagement.  The  mourning  was  excessive,  and  was  expressed  by  the  most 
doleful  yells,  shrieks  and  howlings,  and  by  inimitable  gesticulations."  Mary 
Jemison's  home  was  at  Beardstown,  on  the  Genesee  ;  her  husband,  at  this  time 
was  Hiokatoo,  a  noted  Seneca  warrior. 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign.  57 

upon  them.  Most  of  those  fitted  for  service  were  in  the 
continental  army,  only  those  who  were  either  too  young 
or  too  old  for  the  army  remaining  at  home,  and  the  set- 
tlement was  in  an  almost  defenceless  condition.  Such 
was  the  spot  selected  by  Colonel  John  Butler  for  the 
perpetration  of  deeds  which  have  consigned  his  name  to 
lasting  infamy.  He  organized  his  expedition  at  Niagara, 
and  passing  across  the  Genesee  country  to  the  Chemung, 
moved  down  that  stream  to  the  Susquehanna,  and  thence 
floated  down  to  a  point  about  twenty  miles  above 
Wyoming.  Then,  almost  before  the  inhabitants  of  the 
valley  knew  of  the  approaching  danger,  the  foe  fell  upon 
them.  They  fled  to  their  forts,  but  these  were  quickly 
captured,  and  the  inhabitants  were  at  the  mercy  of  a 
savage  and  relentless  foe.  The  brave  men  who  had 
vainly  endeavored  to  protect  their  homes  were  ruthlessly 
murdered.  The  tomahawk  and  scalping-  knife  reeked 
with  blood,  and  the  savage  war-whoop  mingled  with  the 
shrieks  and  groans  of  the  dying.  The  foe  had  no  mercy. 
A  Tory  brutally  tomahawked  his  own  brother  as  he 
pleaded  for  life.  A  captive  was  burned  in  the  embers  of 
a  fort,  and  others  were  subjected  to  torture  and  lingering 
death.  The  Indians  carried  away  over  two  hundred 
scalps  as  ghastly  trophies  of  their  victory. 

The  autumn  of  the  same  year  saw  the  horrors  and 
cruelty  of  Wyoming  repeated  at  Cherry  Valley.  After 
the  massacre  at  the  former  place,  Brant*  hovered  about 
the  branches  of  the  Susquehanna  until  autumn,  when  he 
started  for  Niagara  to  go  into  winter  quarters.  Mean- 
while Colonel  Butler,  who  had  returned  to  Niagara  with 
his  rangers,  had  yielded  to  the  importunities  of  his  son, 
Captain  Walter  Butler,  and  given  him  command  of  a 


*  Brant  always  denied  that  he  participated  in  the  Wyoming  massacre,  and 
the  weight  of  evidence  would  seem  to  exonerate  him  from  any  share  of  re- 
sponsibility in  it. 

5 


58  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign. 

portion  of  his  regiment  with  permission  to  employ  the 
warriors  under  Brant.  At  this  time  Walter  Butler  was 
smarting  under  wrongs  which  he  fancied  had  been  done 
him  by  the  citizens  of  Tryon  county,  who  had  impris- 
oned him  in  Albany  early  in  the  summer  of  this  year. 
It  was  late  in  the  season,  but  Butler  determined  to  make 
an  incursion  into  Tryon  county,  to  avenge  himself  for 
this  imprisonment.  On  his  way  east  he  met  Brant.  The 
latter  was  much  displeased  at  being  placed  under  Walter 
Butler,  but  yielded  to  his  entreaties  and  joined  the  expe- 
dition. Brant  had  under  his  command  at  this  time  five 
hundred  Indians,  and  Butler's  rangers  numbered  two 
hundred.  This  time  the  settlers  had  ample  warning,  but 
placing  little  confidence  in  the  rumors  which  reached 
them,  were  surprised  by  finding  the  foe  upon  them. 
Early  in  October,  Mr.  Dean,  the  Indian  interpreter  and 
agent,  had  written  Major  Robert  Cochran,  commanding 
at  Fort  Schuyler,  the  following  letter  :  "  As  the  Seneca 
"  chief,  called  the  Great  Tree,*  who  was  all  the  summer 
"  past  with  General  Washington,  returned  through 
"  Oneida,  he  gave  our  friends  there  the  most  solemn  as- 
"  surances,  that  upon  his  arrival  in  his  country,  he  would 
44  exert  his  utmost  influence  to  dispose  his  tribe  to  peace 
"  and  friendship  with  the  United  States,  and  that  should 
"  his  attempts  prove  unsuccessful,  he  would  immediately 
"  leave  his  nation,  and  join  the  Oneidas  with  his  friends 
"  and  adherents.  A  long  time  having  elapsed,  without 
"  hearing  from  the  Great  Tree,  the  Oneidas,  a  few  days 
"  since,  despatched  a  runner  to  him,  desiring  an  account 
"  of  his  success.  The  express  returned  yesterday  with 
"  the  following  intelligence,  which  the  sachems  immedi- 
"  ately  forwarded  to  me  by  three  of  their  warriors : 
"  namely,  that  upon  his  arrival  in  the  Seneca  country,  he 
"  found  that  whole  people  in  arms,  and  the  two  villages, 

*  Big  Tree.     His  home  was  at  Kanaghsaws,  at  the  head  of  Conesus  Lake. 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign.  59 

"  Kanadaseago  and  Tennessee,  where  he  was,  crowded 
"  with  their  warriors,  who  were  all  collected  from  the 
"  remote  settlements.*  That  upon  the  Great  Tree's  first 
"  arrival,  appearances  seemed  to  promise  him  success, 
"  but  that  a  rumor  being  circulated  that  the  Americans 
"  were  about  to  invade  their  country,  they  had  all  flown 
"  to  arms.  The  Great  Tree  was  there,  and  determined 
"  to  chastise  the  enemy  that  dared  presume  to  think  of 
"  penetrating  their  country.  That  they  are  to  be  joined 
"  by  all  the  Indians  as  far  as  the  Ohondagas,  a  small  party 
"  of  which  has  gone  to  meet  them  ;  and  likewise  by  those 
"  of  the  several  settlements  upon  the  branches  of  the 
"  Susquehanna.  That  the  Senecas  were  to  march  the 
"  eighth,  and  the  others  the  ninth  instant.  That  the 
"  whole  party  were  to  rendezvous  at  Kanakals,  a  place 
"  situated  on  that  branch  of  the  Susquehanna  called 
"  Tioga  branch,  and  from  thence  were  to  proceed  against 
"  the  frontiers  of  Pennsylvania  or  th.e  Jerseys ;  our 
"  Oneida  friends  rely  on  the  authenticity  of  the  above 
"  intelligence,  and  beg  that  it  may  not  be  neglected." 

Colonel  Ichabod  Alden,  stationed  at  Cherry  Valley, 
was  consequently  notified  on  the  6th  of  November,  1778, 
of  the  approaching  danger,  but  the  warning  was  disre- 
garded. On  the  morning  of  the  i  ith,  under  the  friendly 
obscurity  of  a  heavy  mist,  Butler  and  Brant  led  their 
forces  into  the  valley,  and  before  the  inhabitants  discov- 
ered their  presence,  they  had  surrounded  the  principal 
houses.  "  A  few  moments  thus  sufficed  to  turn  a  quiet 
village  into  a  heap  of  ashes,  and  change  the  happy  vil- 
lagers into  mangled  corpses  or  miserable  captives.  The 
morning  prayer  was  suddenly  changed  into  the  groans 
of  the  dying  and  the  frantic  yells  of  the  ruthless  savage. 
The  father,  just  as  his  lips  were  teaching  his  loved  chil- 

*  Undoubtedly  the  Indians  were  roused  as  suggested  by  Campbell,  through 
the  agency  of  Walter  Butler,  to  serve  his  own  ends. 


60  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign. 

dren  early  devotion  to  God,  was  summoned  with  his 
little  ones  to  another  and  unseen  world.  Most  of  those 
who  had  escaped  the  first  blow,  were  wretched  prisoners, 
doomed  to  suffer  in  the  remote  wilderness  the  agonies  of 
long  and  hopeless  captivity,  or  perish  by  the  most  fright- 
ful tortures." 

The  massacres  at  Wyoming  and  Cherry  Valley  were 
but  the  enactment  on  a  larger  scale  of  frequently  recur- 
ring events  along  the  whole  frontier.  The  scattered 
hamlets  became  the  scenes  of  the  ruthless  desolation 
which  the  savage  allies  of  the  British  carried  wherever 
they  went,  and  the  peace  and  security  of  the  settlers 
were  constantly  menaced.  The  blood-curdling  yell 
of  the  savage  foe  was  ever  echoing  in  the  forest,  the 
tomahawk  and  scalping  knife  were  uplifted  against  the 
settlers,  and  the  blood  of  the  patriot,  and  of  his  defence 
less  wife  and  children,  was  drenching  the  soil  of  the 
fertile  valleys  where  he  had  sought  a  home. 

Such  was  the  warfare  which  the  English  ministry  had 
instigated,  that  the  pet  prerogatives  of  the  crown  might 
be  sustained,  and  a  brave  band  of  patriots  brought  to 
submission  to  the  oppressor's  yoke. 


CHAPTER  III. 

RETALIATORY   MEASURES   PROPOSED. 

THE  continued  depredations  of  the  Indians  on  the 
border  settlements  rendered  imperative  some  de- 
cided measures  to  punish  them,  and  prevent  their  further 
operations.  It  was  long,  however,  before  those  in  au- 
thority heard  the  urgent  appeals  of  the  settlers  for  pro- 
tection and  redress,  and  longer  still  before  those  appeals, 
were  answered  by  positive  action.  It  was  at  this  time 
the  darkest  hour  of  the  Revolution.  The  country  was 
wearied  by  long  years  of  warfare,  and  needed  rest.  The 
struggle  had  nearly  exhausted  the  means  and  the  pa- 
tience of  the  people.  The  army  suffered  terribly  for  the 
want  of  proper  lood  and  clothing,  and  the  most  strenu- 
ous efforts  to  supply  these  wants  met  with  little  success. 
Evil  seemed  everywhere  prevalent.  The  continental 
currency  had  become  so  depreciated  that  farmers  refused 
to  furnish  supplies  to  the  army  and  take  their  pay  in  it. 
The  soldier's  pay,  measured  in  this  currency,  did  not 
suffice  to  provide  food  for  his  suffering  family,  while  it 
was  often  far  in  arrears,  and  his  earnest  appeals  that 
justice  might  be  done  him  awoke  pity  in  the  hearts  of 
those  who  could  render  no  aid,  but  produced  little  effect 
on  those  whose  official  position  made  it  their  duty  to 
care  for  him.  Many  were  compelled  to  throw  up  their 
commissions  that  they  might  return  to  civil  life  and  earn 
a  support  for  themselves  and  families.  A  general  feeling 
of  apathy  and  indifference  prevailed,  and  the  leaders  met 
with  serious  discouragements.  Enlistments  were  few, 
and  only  high  bounties  would  prevail  on  men  to  go  into 


62  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign. 

the  army.  These  often  deserted  after  months  of  toil  and 
privation,  because  their  complaints  were  not  heeded,  or 
utterly  refused  to  do  duty  until  their  demands  were 
conceded.  Among  the  army  officers  jealousies  and  dis- 
cords prevailed.  Precedence  in  authority,  the  claims  of 
superiority,  military  renown, — these  seemed  the  aim  of 
many,  while  intrigue  or  open  disobedience  continually 
harrassed  Washington  and  the  noble-minded  leaders  who 
were  impelled  solely  by  patriotism.  John  Adams  wrote 
in  1777,  "  I  am  wearied  to  death  by  the  wrangles  between 
military  officers,  high  and  low.  They  quarrel  like  cats 
and  dogs."  Often  these  intrigues  worked  rank  injustice 
,to  noble  patriots  like  General  Schuyler  and  others,  and 
harm  to  the  country  which  thus  lost  their  best  services. 
Meanwhile  contractors  grew  rich  by  the  frauds  they 
practiced  in  furnishing  supplies  to  the  army,  while  among 
the  people  there  was  an  alarming  increase  of  gaming 
and  speculation,  which  awakened  serious  apprehensions. 
In  this  trying  hour  Washington  wrote  to  a  friend  : 
"  Our  affairs  are  in  a  more  distressed,  ruinous  and  deplo- 
rable condition  than  they  have  been  since  the  commence- 
ment of  the  war.  By  a  faithful  laborer,  then,  in  the 
cause  ;  by  a  man  who  is  daily  injuring  his  private  estate 
without  the  smallest  earthly  advantage,  not  common  to 
all  in  case  of  a  favorable  issue  to  the  dispute ;  by  one 
who  wishes  the  prosperity  of  America  most  devoutly, 
but  sees  it,  or  thinks  he  sees  it,  on  the  brink  of  ruin  ; 
you  are  besought  most  earnestly,  my  dear  Colonel  Har- 
rison, to  exert  yourself  in  endeavoring  to  rescue  your 
country,  by  sending  your  best  and  ablest  men  to  Con- 
gress. These  characters  must  not  slumber  nor  sleep  at 
home  in  such  a  time  of  pressing  danger.  They  must 
not  content  themselves  with  the  enjoyment  of  places  of 
honor  and  trust  in  their  own  State,  while  the  common 
interests  of  America  are  mouldering  and  sinking  into 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign.  63 

irretrievable  ruin."  And  he  added  in  conclusion,  "  If  I 
were  to  be  called  upon  to  draw  a  picture  of  the  times 
and  of  men,  from  what  I  have  seen,  heard,  and  in  part 
know,  I  should  in  one  word  say  that  idleness,  dissipation 
and  extravagance  seem  to  have  laid  fast  hold  of  most ; 
speculation,  peculation,  and  an  insatiate  thirst  for  riches 
have  got  the  better  of  every  other  consideration  and 
almost  every  order  of  men."  Congress,  too,  shared  in 
the  general  decline  in  morals  and  high  purposes.  The 
best  men  remained  at  home,  and  their  places  were  sup- 
plied by  those  who  were  weaker,  less  patriotic,  less  ready 
for  any  hardship,  or  sacrifice  which  promised  to  aid  the 
patriot  cause,  than  the  sturdy,  honest,  devoted  men 
of  '76. 

Such  was  the  condition  of  affairs  when  the  repeated 
atrocities  of  the  Indians  on  the  border  caused  a  cry  for^ 
redress  and  protection  to  go  up  from  every  defenceless 
settlement.  It  is  not  strange  that  the  cry  was  not  sooner 
heeded,  or  that  Congress  answered  only  with  empty 
resolutions  and  meaningless  declarations. 

That  body  was  ready  enough  with  such  resolutions, 
but  utterly  failed  to  carry  them  out.  On  the  iithof 
June,  1778,  Congress  resolved  that  "an  expedition  be 
immediately  undertaken,"  for  the  purpose  of  reducing 
the  garrison  at  Detroit,  and  to  bring  to  terms  of  peace 
such  of  the  Indian  nations  as  were  contiguous  to  the 
route  between  Fort  Pitt  and  Detroit.  To  facilitate  this 
enterprise,  another  expedition  was  planned  at  the  same 
time,  to  proceed  from  the  Mohawk  river  to  the  Seneca 
country,  "  in  order  to  chastise  that  insolent  and  revenge- 
ful nation."  General  Gates,  or  the  officer  commanding 
in  the  Northern  department,  was  directed  to  take  meas- 
ures for  organizing  this  expedition,  and  to  appoint  a 
suitable  officer  to  command  it.  Nothing  seems  to  have 
been  done,  however,  and  on  the  25th  of  July,  the  Wyom- 


64  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign. 

ing  massacre  having  sent  a  thrill  of  horror  through  the 
settlements,  and  renewed  the  demands  for  retaliatory 
measures,  Congress  again  directed  its  attention  to  the 
subject,  and  resolved  that  "the  expedition  meditated 
against  the  Indians  from  the  northward  be  forwarded 
with  all  possible  despatch,  and  that  the  Board  of  War 
take  the  necessary  steps  for  that  purpose."  General 
Mclntosh  was  also  directed  to  collect  a  force  of  1500 
men  at  Fort  Pitt  "  and  proceed  without  delay  to  destroy 
such  towns  of  the  hostile  tribes  of  Indians  as  he  in  his 
discretion  shall  think  will  most  effectually  tend  to  chas- 
tise and  terrify  the  savages,  and  check  their  ravages  on 
the  frontiers  of  these  states."  Notwithstanding  these 
high-sounding  resolutions,  the  measures  proposed  were 
still  delayed,  and  on  the  3d  of  September,  1778,  it  was 
resolved  that  the  expedition  proposed  in  the  resolution 
of  June  nth,  "be  for  the  present  laid  aside."  General 
Washington  was  directed  to  take  such  measures  as  he 
deemed  advisable  for  the  protection  of  the  frontiers,  and 
all  thoughts  of  an  expedition  against  the  Indians  were 
abandoned  for  that  year.  Perhaps  there  was  some 
excuse  for  this  delay.  The  country  was  in  no  condition 
to  undertake  an  expedition  of  such  magnitude  as  the 
situation  demanded,  even  if  Congress  were  inclined  to 
order  it.  With  half-fed,  half-clothed  troops,  scanty  sup- 
plies, disaffected  officers  and  an  indifferent  people  to 
sustain  it,  such  a  movement  would  seem  an  impossibil- 
ity, and  so  it  would  have  been,  had  not  Washington 
wisely  adapted  his  plans  to  the  condition  of  affairs  then 
existing. 

Realizing  the  condition  of  the  country  at  this  time, 
the  great  need  of  economy  in  public  expenditures,  and 
the  husbanding  of  the  strength  and  resources  of  the 
people,  Washington's  policy  for  1779  was  to  remain 
wholly  on  the  defensive,  except  with  regard  to  such 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign.  '65 

measures  as  might  be  found  necessary  to  hold  the 
Indians  in  check.  England,  it  was  expected,  would  be 
too  much  occupied  with  affairs  in  Europe  at  this  time, 
to  push  with  much  vigor  her  operations  in  America,  and 
hence  such  a  policy,  which  would  permit  the  languish- 
ing and  exhausted  country  to  recuperate  its  wasted 
energies,  was  rendered  possible.  But  with  the  Indian 
foe  it  was  different.  With  such  an  enemy  no  merely 
defensive  measures  would  suffice,  but  a  war  of  devasta- 
tion must  be  carried  even  into  their  own  forest  haunts, 
to  be  effective  in  staying  their  ravages.  Hence  the 
exception  Washington  made  in  forming  his  plans  for 
the  year,  and  the  active,  earnest  efforts  he  made  in 
organizing  the  expedition  against  the  northern  Indian 
tribes. 

In  spite  of  the  obstacles  in  the  way  there  were  many 
who  realized  the  importance  of  taking  such  steps  as 
would  effectually  punish  the  Indians  for  their  growing 
insolence  and  repeated  depredations  and  prevent  their 
further  operations.  By  such,  active  measures  were 
repeatedly  urged  on  Congress.  Washington,  himself 
an  experienced  Indian  fighter,  familiar  with  their  meth- 
ods of  warfare  and  habits  of  life,  and  knowing  how 
they  could  best  be  punished  and  restrained,  early 
favored  an  expedition  into  the  very  heart  of  the  Indian 
country.  He  had  little  faith  in  the  plan  proposed  of 
establishing  chains  of  forts  along  the  western  and 
northwestern  frontiers,  and  believed  that  the  measure 
would  result  in  little  good.  He  would  carry  the  war 
to  their  own  villages,  destroy  their  habitations  and  their 
means  of  subsistence,  and  force  them  either  to  sue  for 
peace  or  fall  back  on  their  English  allies  for  their  sus- 
tenance. The  English  post  at  Niagara  he  also  desired 
to  reach,  if  possible,  the  possession  of  which  aided  the 
British  authorities  so  materially  in  controlling  and 
directing  the  movements  of  the  savages. 


66  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign. 

During  the  enforced  inactivity  of  the  winter  of 
1778-79,  General  Washington  gave  this  subject  his  ear- 
nest attention.  Tn  the  previous  autumn,  an  expedition 
having  been  ordered  against  Chemung,  then  believed  to 
be  a  formidable  stronghold  of  the  Indians,  Washington 
submitted  the  question  of  its  practicability  to  Generals 
Hand,  Clinton  and  Schuyler,  that,  as  he  wrote,  "  if 
thought  practicable  at  this  season  of  the  year,  it  may 
be  undertaken ;  if  not,  that  I  may  stand  justifiable  to 
Congress  for  laying  it  aside."  These  officers,  after  ma- 
ture deliberation,  reported  that  the  advanced  season  of 
the  year  would  require  the  greatest  despatch  merely  to 
march  a  body  of  troops  without  cannons  to  Chemung, 
so  as  to  return  before  the  winter  set  in.  Even  if  it  were 
possible  to  carry  cannons,  the  work  of  gathering  troops, 
with  their  clothing,  blankets,  pack  horses  and  provisions, 
would  cause  such  delay  that  the  rainy  season  would 
have  commenced,  and  the  rivers  and  creeks  be  rendered 
impassable  before  the  expedition  could  move.  The  judg- 
ment of  these  experienced  military  officers  being  against 
the  expedition,  it  was  finally  abandoned.  The  Com- 
mander-in-chief did  not  give  up  all  thoughts  of  carrying 
out  his  plans,  however,  and  in  February,  1779,  was  cor- 
responding with  General  Hand  as  to  the  best  route  to 
follow  to  the  Indian  country.  His  letters  show  how 
little  was  known  of  the  country  occupied  by  the  Sen- 
ecas.  The  difficulties  entailed  by  this  ignorance,  on  the 
expedition  subsequently  formed,  were  great.  In  one  of 
his  letters,  Washington  says :  "Although  all  thoughts  of 
an  Indian  expedition  are  laid  aside  for  the  winter,  I  do 
not  know  but  we  may  be  induced  to  prosecute  one  in 
the  spring,  should  circumstances  demand  it,  and  the  sit- 
uation of  affairs  on  the  sea-coast  admit  of  it.  I  would 
have  you  therefore  be  making  every  possible  inquiry,  in 
the  course  of  this  winter,  of  those  who  are  best  informed 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign.  67 

of  the  different  routes  leading  to  the  country  of  the  Six 
Nations  by  land  and  water,  having  particular  regard  to 
the  distance  and  face  of  the  country,  and  kind  of  navi- 
gation. I  would  not  wish  you  to  intrust  any  person 
with  the  true  reason  of  making  inquiry  concerning 
routes  to  the  Indian  country.  Let  it  seem  as  if  intended 
to  satisfy  your  own  curiosity." 

Again  on  the  2ist  of  March,  1779,  General  Washington 
wrote  to  Hand  as  follows:  "Since  I  wrote  your  honor 
on  the  1 6th,  I  have  been  informed,  though  not  in  such  a 
way  that  I  can  depend  upon  it,  that  the  country  between 
Chemung  and  the  Seneca  nation  is  great  part  of  it  so 
low  and  swampy  that  it  is  traversed  with  difficulty  by 
even  a  few  foot.  This  is  a  matter  that  should  be  ascer- 
tained with  the  utmost  precision,  because  should  we 
endeavor  to  move  a  body  by  that  route  to  co-operate 
with  another  from  the  northward,  and  they  on  account 
of  the  difficulty  I  have  mentioned,  either  find  it  impos- 
sible to  proceed,  or  be  so  retarded  as  to  fail  in  point  of 
time,  our  whole  plan  would  be  ruined."  The  country 
between  the  waters  of  the  Susquehanna  and  those  emp- 
tying into  Lake  Ontario  was  the  territory  to  be  the 
most  carefully  inquired  about,  as  that  was  an  unknown 
region.- 

On  the  25th  of  February,  1779,  Congress  directed  "  that 
the  representation  of  the  circumstances  of  the  western 
frontiers,  communicated  by  a  committee  of  the  General 
Assembly  of  Pennsylvania,  and  also  copies  of  the  memo- 
rials and  of  the  letters  from  the  Governors  of  Connecticut 
and  New  York,  respecting  the  depredations  on  the  said 
frontiers,  be  transmitted  to  the  Commander-in-chief,  who 
is  directed  to  take  effective  measures  for  the  protection 
of  the  inhabitants  and  chastisement  of  the  savages."  It 
was  also  resolved  that  all  volunteers  under  the  call  for 
this  service  should  receive  a  bounty  of  one  hundred 
dollars,  and  be  entitled  to  continental  pay  and  rations. 


68  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign. 

In  letters  to  Governor  Clinton  and  General  Gates, 
written  early  in  March,  General  Washington  announced 
his  determination  to  obey  this  order  by  carrying  the 
war  into  the  most  populous  country  of  the  Six  Nations, 
"  to  cut  off  their  settlements,  destroy  their  crops,  and 
inflict  upon  them  every  other  mischief  which  time  and 
circumstances  would  permit."  He  had  been  busily  en- 
gaged during  the  previous  winter  in  informing  himself 
as  to  the  best  route  to  the  Indian  settlements,  the  face 
of  the  country,  and  the  difficulties  to  be  overcome,  as 
has  already  been  shown.  Differences  of  opinion  pre- 
vailed as  to  the  route  the  invading  army  should  take. 
General  Schuyler,  probably  from  his  greater  familiarity 
with  the  Mohawk  and  the  contiguous  territory,  believed 
the  best  course  to  be  up  that  stream  and  thence  west- 
ward, if  possible  to  Niagara.  The  plan  finally  adopted 
was  a  sort  of  combination  of  two  routes,  or  rather,  the 
expedition  was  divided  into  two  detachments,  each  mov- 
ing over  a  different  route  for  a  part  of  the  distance, 
and  then  joining  forces  for  the  principal  work  of  the 
campaign.  One  of  these  divisions  was  to  rendezvous 
in  Pennsylvania,  ascend  the  Susquehanna  and  form  a 
junction  with  the  division  which  was  to  come  from  the 
eastern  part  of  New  York,  through  the  country  of  the 
Mohawk,  and  a  junction  having  been  effected,  the  united 
armies  were  to  carry  their  devastating  march  into  the 
very  heart  of  the  Indian  country.  The  plan  thus  formed 
was  carried  out  to  the  letter,  except  the  intended  attack 
on  Fort  Niagara,  and  the  results  of  the  campaign  proved 
that  it  had  been  well  conceived  as  well  as  well  executed. 
The  credit  of  this  belongs  in  a  large  degree  to  General 
Washington,  who  took  a  deep  personal  interest  in  the 
movement  and  labored  to  secure  its  success.  As  has 
been  said,  he  made  it  the  most  important  military  enter- 
prise of  that  year,  and  sought  by  it  to  deal  a  blow  which 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign.  69 

should  prove  a  lasting  lesson  to  the  hostile  tribes  of  the 
north. 

Another  expedition  was  planned  at  the  same  time, 
under  the  command  of  Colonel  Brodhead,  from  Fort 
Pitt  (Pittsburgh).  With  six  hundred  men  he  left  that 
fort  August  nth,  1779,  and  penetrated  one  hundred  and 
eighty  miles  into  the  Indian  country,  on  the  Alleghany, 
burning  ten  towns.  For  some  unexplained  reason  he 
failed  to  form  a  junction  with  Sullivan,  as  was  contem- 
plated. 

While  Washington  was  making  these  preparations, 
however,  a  demand  had  come  from  another  quarter  for 

active  measures  against  the  Indians.     The  settlers,  dis- 
0 

couraged  by  their  hitherto  fruitless  appeals  to  Congress, 
had  called  the  attention  of  the  New  York  Legislature, 
then  sitting  at  Poughkeepsie,  to  their  danger  and  suffer- 
ings. That  body,  doubtless  ignorant  of  the  action  just 
taken  by  Congress,  or  having  little  confidence  that  the 
latter,  which  had  been  "  content  to  resolve,  to  rescind,  to 
postpone,"  would  act  with  becoming  energy,  immedi- 
ately took  steps  to  redress  these  wrongs. 

The  Governor  was  directed  to  raise  a  force  from  the 
militia  of  the  State  and  send  it  against  the  Senecas. 
Notice  of  this  action  was  immediately  transmitted  to 
Congress,  the  letter  of  the  Legislature  bearing  date 
March  I3th  being  laid  before  that  body  April  ist,  1779.* 

The  Continental  Congress  applauded  the  "spirited 
exertions  of  the  New  York  Legislature"  to  aid  the 
expedition,  and  directed  that  the  State's  militia,  raised 
for  this  purpose,  should  draw  rations  and  continental 
pay. 


*  Doty,  in  his  history  of  Livingston  County,  has  fallen  into  an  error  in 
stating  that  "thus  was  the  first  step  taken  in  the  famous  expedition  of  1779." 
In  fact,  General  Washington  had  appointed  a  commander  for  the  expedition 
nearly  a  month  before. 


7O  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign. 

The  campaign  having  been  decided  upon,  and  its 
general  plan  of  operations  mapped  out,  it  became  neces- 
sary for  Washington,  as  Commander-in-chief,  to  select  a 
suitable  officer  to  command  it  Accordingly,  on  the  6th 
of  March,  1779,  he  tendered  the  command  to  General 
Gates,  but  that  officer  saw  fit  to  decline  it  in  a  manner 
that  highly  displeased  Washington,  and  drew  from  him 
some  unwonted  strictures.  On  the  I4th  of  April  follow- 
ing he  wrote  to  the  President  of  Congress :  "  The  plan 
of  operations  for  the  campaign  being  determined,  a 
commanding  officer  was  to  be  appointed  for  the  Indian 
expedition.  This  command,  according  to  all  present 
appearances,  will  probably  be  of  the  second,  if  not  of 
the  first,  importance  for  the  campaign.  The  officer 
conducting  it  has  a  flattering  prospect  of  acquiring 
more  credit  than  can  be  expected  by  any  other  this 
year,  and  he  has  the  best  reason  to  hope  for  success. 
General  Lee,  from  his  situation,  was  out  of  the  question  ; 
General  Schuyler  (who,  by  the  way,  would  have  been 
most  agreeable  to  me)  was  so  uncertain  of  continuing  in 
the  army  that  I  could  not  appoint  him  ;  General  Putnam 
I  need  riot  mention.  I  therefore  made  the  offer  of  it,  for 
the  appointment  could  no  longer  be  delayed,  to  General 
Gates,  who  was  next  in  seniority,  though,  perhaps,  I 
might  have  avoided  it,  if  I  had  been  so  disposed,  from 
his  being  in  a  command  by  the  special  appointment  of 
Congress.  My  letter  to  him  on  the  occasion  I  believe 
you  will  think  was  conceived  in  very  candid  and  polite 
terms,  and  that  it  merited  a  different  answer  from  the 
one  given  to  it."  * 

*  The  answer  of  General  Gates  thus  referred  to  was  as  follows :  "  Last 
night  I  had  the  honor  of  your  Excellency's  letter.  The  man  who  undertakes 
the  Indian  service  should  enjoy  youth  and  strength :  requisites  I  do  not 
possess.  It  therefore  grieves  me  that  your  Excellency  should  offer  me  the 
only  command  to  which  I  am  utterly  unequal.  In  obedience  to  your  com- 
mand, I  have  forwarded  your  letter  to  General  Sullivan." 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign.  71 

Washington's  letter  sent  to  General  Gates  was  accom- 
panied with  the  request  that  if  that  officer  did  not  accept 
the  command  he  would  forward  the  letter  to  General 
Sullivan. 

It  read  as  follows : 

"Head  Quarters,  Middle  Brook,  March  6th,  1779. 
"  Dear  Sir : 

"  Congress  having  determined  upon  an  expedition  of. 
"  an  extensive  nature  against  the  hostile  tribes  of  the  In- 
"  dians  of  the  Six  Nations,  the  command  is  offered  to 
"  Major  General  Gates  as  senior  officer,  but  should  he 
"decline,  it  is  my  wish  it  should  devolve  upon  you. 
"  That  no  time  may  be  lost  by  General  Gates'  non-ac- 
"  ceptahce,  I  have  put  this  Letter  under  cover  to  him,  and 
"  have  desired  him  to  forward  it  to  you,  should  that  be 
"  his  determination.  Should  it  therefore  be  sent  to  you, 
"  I  must  request  you  to  set  out,  as  speedily  after  the  rec* 
"  of  it,  to  Head  Quarters,  as  the  season  is  already  far 
"  advanced.  Upon  your  arrival,  the  whole  plan  of  the 
"  expedition  shall  be  communicated  to  you,  and  measures 
"  concerted  for  carrying  it  into  execution. 

"  Nothing  will  contribute  more  to  our  success  in  the 
"  quarter  where  we  really  intend  to  strike,  than  alarming 
"  the  enemy  in  a  contrary  one,  and  drawing  their  atten- 
"  tion  that  way.  To  do  this,  you  may  drop  hints  of  an 
"  expedition  to  Canada  by  the  way  of  Coos.  This  will 
"  be  the  more  readily  believed,  as  a  thing  of  that  kind 
"  was  really  once  in  agitation,  and  some  magazines  form- 
"  ed  in  consequence,  which  the  enemy  are  acquainted 
"  with.  You  may  also  speak  of  the  probability  of  a 
"  French  fleet  making  its  appearance,  in  the  Spring,  in 
"  the  river  St.  Lawrence  to  co-operate  with  us.  It  will 
"  be  a  great  point  gained  if  we  can,  by  false  alarms,  keep 
"  the  force  already  in  Canada  from  affording  any  timely 
"  assistance  to  the  Savages,  Refugees  and  those  people 
"  against  whom  the  blow  is  leveled. 


72  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign. 

"  I  would  wish  you  to  keep  the  motive  of  your  journey 
"  to  Head  Quarters  a  secret,  because  if  it  is  known  that 
"  an  officer  of  your  rank  is  to  take  a  command  to  the 
"  Westward,  it  will  be  immediately  concluded  that  the 
"  object  must  be  considerable. 

"  I  am,  with  great  Regard,  Dear  Sir, 

"  Your  Most  Obed'  Servt, 

"  Go.  WASHINGTON. 
"  Maj.  Gen.  SULLIVAN." 

The  command  having  been  declined  by  General  Gates, 
was  promptly  accepted  by  General  Sullivan.  Upon  no 
worthier  shoulders  could  the  honor  and  responsibility  of 
the  campaign  have  rested.  Previous  service  in  the  Con- 
tinental, army  had  shown  his  fighting  qualities  and 
proven  his  earnest  patriotism.  Major  General  John  Sul- 
livan was  born  in  Somers worth,  N.  H.,  in  1740,  his 
father  being  an  Irish  emigrant  who  settled  in  Massachu- 
setts about  the  year  1723.  At  the  outbreak  of  the  Revolu- 
tion he  was  practicing  law  in  New  Hampshire,  and  was 
sent  as  a  delegate  to  the  first  Congress  in  1774.  In  1775, 
he,  with  seven  others,  was  appointed  a  Brigadier  General, 
and  assigned  a  command  in  the  Continental  Army.  He 
superseded  Arnold  as  commander  of  the  forces  in  Canada 
in  1776,  and  in  August  of  the  same  year  was  made  a  Major 
General.  He  was  then  transferred  to  Long  Island, 
where  he  succeeded  General  Greene,  and  in  the  battle  of 
August  27th,  was  taken  prisoner  by  the  British.  In 
November  he  was  exchanged  for  the  English  General 
Prescott.  In  1777  he  led  an  expedition  against  Staten 
Island,  took  part  in  the  battles  of  Brandy  wine  and  Ger- 
mantown,  and  in  1778  was  placed  in  command  of  the 
troops  in  Rhode  Island.  In  1779  he  was  given  the  com- 
mand of  the  expedition  against  the  Indians.  Soon  after 
his  return  from  this  campaign  he  resigned  his  position 
in  the  army,  and  returned  to  New  Hampshire,  where  he 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign.  73 

resumed  his  practice,  and  took  a  leading  part  in  public 
affairs.  He  was  a  member  of  the  convention  which 
framed  the  State  constitution,  in  1785  was  in  the  first 
council,  represented  his  State  in  Congress,  and  in  1786- 
87  and  1789  was  President  of  the  State.  In  1789  he  was 
appointed  District  Judge  and  died  January  23d,  1795,  at 
the  age  of  54  years,  closing  a  life  that  had  been  full  of 
activity  and  usefulness,  of  which  full  recognition  has  not 
yet  been  rendered  by  those  who  have  profited  by  his  ser- 
vices. Although  blessed  with  an  abundance  of  this 
world's  goods  when  he  entered  the  army,  his  affairs 
reached  a  deplorable  state  while  he  was  in  active  service, 
because  of  their  necessary  neglect,  and  he  was  never  able 
to  retrieve  his  fortunes.  He  died,  as  he  had  lived  for 
years,  surrounded  by  numerous  creditors,  and  even  the 
funeral  services  over  his  remains  were  interrupted  by 
creditors,  who,  under  an  infamous  statute,  attached  the 
body,  and  held  it  from  burial,  until  an  old  companion  in 
arms,  General  Cilley,  drawing  his  pistols,  held  at  bay 
the  officers  of  the  law,  while  the  funeral  rites  were  per- 
formed and  the  remains  were  committed  to  the  earth. 
He  is  described  as  having  been  a  dignified,  yet  genial 
and  amiable  man,  courteous  to  those  about  him,  and 
commanding  respect.  His  eyes  were  keen  and  dark, 
his  hair  curly  black,  his  form  erect,  his  movements  full 
of  energy  and  grace.  His  height  was  five  feet  nine 
inches,  and  a  slight  corpulency  when  in  his  prime  gave 
but  an  added  grace  to  his  figure.  General  Sullivan  was 
a  man  of  undaunted  courage,  warmth  of  temperament 
and  independent  spirit,  equalled  only  by  his  patriotic 
devotion  to  his  country's  cause,  and  his  zeal  in  all  public 
affairs.  His  free  criticisms  of  the  acts  of  Congress 
and  the  Board  of  War,  in  their  conduct  of  the  war,  were 
often  as  indiscreet  as  they  were  outspoken,  and  aroused 
their  animosity,  while  the  vexatious  jealousies  and  in- 
6 


74  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign. 

trigues  of  his  brother  officers  were  painful  and  displeas- 
ing to  him.  He  resigned  his  commission  in  the  army 
in  November,  1779,  on  the  plea  of  ill-health,  but  his  ac- 
tion was  doubtless  hastened  by  the  evident  disinclination 
to  recognize  his  services  or  deal  justly  with  him.  It  is 
true  Congress  gave  him  a  vote  of  thanks  for  the  success- 
ful termination  of  the  Indian  expedition,  but,  smarting 
under  his  caustic  criticisms,  it  was  as  ready  to  censure 
and  degrade  him  for  his  disrespect  and  independence. 

Doubtless  he  was  too  impatient  and  outspoken,  and 
may  have  been  deserving  of  some  measure  of  blame, 
still  his  faults  should  not  have  detracted  from  that  meed 
of  praise  to  which  he  was  justly  entitled.  Neither  should 
the  jealousies  of  his  companions  in  arms,  which  prompted 
them  to  ridicule  his  achievements,  question  his  reports 
and  detract  from  his  hard-earned  laurels,  have  had  weight 
with  the  historian.  Yet  such  has  been,  in  great  degree, 
the  case,  and  the  name  of  Sullivan  occupies  a  lesser  space 
in  the  history  of  our  Revolutionary  struggle,  than  those 
of  many  others  whose  achievements  fall  far  short  of  his 
in  magnitude  and  importance.  Sullivan  has  been  made 
the  victim  of  the  intrigues  and  petty  jealousies  of  his 
time,  and  while  for  much  of  this  his  own  indiscretion 
may  justly  be  blamed,  the  duty  is  none  the  less  incum- 
bent on  the  present  generation  to  render  due  homage  to 
one  who  was  a  brave  soldier,  and  a  devoted,  disinterested, 
self-sacrificing  patriot.* 

Subsequent  to  General  Sullivan's  appointment,  Gen- 


*  "  A  friend  of  Washington,  Greene,  Lafayette,  and  all  the  noblest  states- 
men and  generals  of  the  war,  whose  esteem  for  him  was  universally  known — 
to  whom  his  own  attachment  never  wavered — he  will  be  valued  fpr  his  high 
integrity  and  steadfast  faith,  his  loyal  and  generous  character,  his  enterprise 
and  vigor  in  command,  his  readiness  to  assume  responsibility,  his  courage  and 
coolness  in  emergencies,  his  foresight  in  providing  for  all  possible  contingen- 
cies of  campaign  or  battlefield,  and  his  calmness  when  results  became  adverse." 
— Amory's  Memorial  Sketch  of  Sullivan's  Life. 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign.  75 

eral  Washington  submitted  to  him  several  maps  and 
written  accounts  of  the  Indian  country,  and  on  the  1 5th 
of  April,  Sullivan  wrote  to  his  superior  officer  his  views 
concerning  the  expedition  at  some  length.  General 
Schuyler,  it  would  seem,  had  computed  the  number  of 
unfriendly  Indians  in  the  Indian  country,  at  about  2,000. 
Sullivan  said  :  "  Underrating  the  number  of  the  enemy 
has  been  a  prevailing  error  with  the  Americans  since  the 
commencement  of  the  war.  This  is  ever  a  source  of 
misfortune,  and  has  to  some  armies  proved  fatal.-  As  in 
no  instance  it  could  be  more  dangerous  than  in  the 
present  intended  expedition,  it  will  be  necessary  to  con- 
sider whether  there  is  not  a  probability  of  the  enemy 
being  more  numerous  than  General  Schujler's  account 
makes  them.  *  *  *  It  is  impossible  that  he  should 
gain  an  accurate  account  of  the  number  of  Tories  and 
French  (?)  volunteers  who  have  joined  the  parties  com- 
manded by  Butler  and  their  other  leaders. 

"  The  number  of  troops  to  be  sent  by  the  Susquehanna 
should,  in  my  opinion,  be  2,500,  which,  when  the  posts 
for  magazines,  etc.,  are  established  at  Augusta,  Wyo- 
ming, Wyalusing,  and  Tioga,  will  be  reduced  to  less 
than  2,000.  The  party  sent  by  the  Mohawk  river  should 
consist  of  4,000,  which  by  draughts  for  boatmen,  provi- 
sion guards,  and  a  detachment  to  make  a  feint  at  Cherry 
Valley,  will  be  reduced  to  nearly  3,000.  With  this  force 
the  business  may  be  effectually  done,  and  with  such  ex- 
pedition as  will  prevent  the  enemy  from  escaping,  and 
in  the  end  will  be  attended  with  much  less  expense  than 
a  smaller  party.  As  this  expedition  is  intended  to  cut 
off  those  Indian  nations,  and  to  convince  others  that  we 
have  it  in  our  power  to  carry  the  war  into  their  own 
country,  whenever  they  commence  hostilities,  it  will  be 
necessary  that  the  blow  should  be  sure  and  fatal,  other- 
wise they  will  derive  confidence  from  an  ineffectual  at- 
tempt, and  become  more  insolent  than  before." 


76  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign. 

Preparations  were  immediately  commenced  for  the 
great  undertaking,  General  Sullivan  being  guided  by  the 
letter  of  instructions  drawn  up  by  Hamilton  in  accord- 
ance with  Washington's  directions,  and  signed  by  the 
Commander-in-chief.  It  bore  date  of  May  31,  1779,  and 
read  as  follows  : 

"  Sir  : — The  expedition  you  are  appointed  to  com- 
"  mand  is  to  be  directed  against  the  hostile  tribes 
"of  the  Six  Nations  of  Indians,  with  their  associ- 
"  ates  and  adherents.  The  immediate  object  is  their 
"  total  destruction  and  devastation,  and  the  capture  of  as 
"  many  persons  of  every  age  and  sex  as  possible.  It  will 
"  be  essential  to  ruin  their  crops  now  in  the  ground,  and 
"  prevent  their  planting  more. 

"  The  troops  to  be  employed  are  Clinton,  Maxwell, 
"  Poor  and  Hand's  brigades,  and  the  independent  com- 
"  panics  raised  in  the  State  of  Pennsylvania.  In  Hand's 
"  brigade,  I  comprehend  all  the  detached  corps  of  conti- 
"  nental  troops  now  on  the  Susquehanna,  and  Spencer's 
"  regiment.  Cortland's  I  consider  as  belonging  to  Clin- 
"  ton's  brigade.  Alden's  may  go  to  Poor's,  and  Butler's 
"  and  the  rifle  corps  to  Maxwell's  or  Hand's  according  to 
"  circumstances.  Clinton's  brigade,  you  are  informed, 
"  has  been  ordered  to  rendezvous  at  Canajoharie,  subject 
"  to  your  orders,  either  to  form  a  junction  with  the  main 
"  body  on  the  Susquehanna  by  way  of  Otsego,  or  to  pro- 
"  ceed  up  the  Mokawk  river  and  co-operate  in  the  best 
"  manner  circumstances  will  permit,  as  you  judge  most 
"  advisable. 

"  So  soon  as  your  preparations  are  in  sufficient  for- 
"  wardness,  you  will  assemble  your  main  i>ody  at  Wyo- 
"  ming,  and  proceed  to  Tioga,  taking  from  that  place  the 
"  most  direct  and  practicable  route  into  the  heart  of  the 
"  Indian  settlements.  You  will  establish  such  intermedi- 
"ate  posts  as  you  think  necessary  for  the  security  of 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign.  77 

"  your  communications  and  convoys ;  nor,  need  1  caution 
"  you,  while  you  leave  a  sufficiency  of  men  for  their  de- 
"  fence,  to  take  care  to  diminish  your  operating  forces  as 
"  little  as  possible.  A  fort  at  Tioga  will  be  particularly 
"  necessary — either  a  stockade  fort  or  an  entrenched 
"  camp.  If  the  latter,  a  block  house  should  be  erected 
"  in  the  interior.  I  would  recommend  that  some  fort  in 
•'  the  centre  of  the  Indian  country,  should  be  occupied 
"  with  all  expedition,  with  a  sufficient  quantity  of  provi- 
"  sions  ;  whence  parties  should  be  detached  to  lay  waste 
"  all  the  settlements  around,  with  instructions  to  do  it  in 
"  the  most  effectual  manner,  that  the  country  may  not  be 
"  merely  overrun,  but  destroyed.  I  beg  leave  to  suggest, 
"  as  general  rules  that  ought  to  govern  your  operations, 
"  to  make,  rather  than  receive,  attacks,  attended  with  as 
"  much  impetuosity,  shouting,  and  noise  as  possible  ;  and 
"  to  make  the  troops  act  in  as  loose  and  dispersed  a  way 
"  as  is  consistent  with  a  proper  degree  of  government, 
"  concert  and  mutual  support.  It  should  be  previously 
"  impressed  upon  the  minds  of  the  men,  wherever  they 
'  have  an  opportunity,  to  rush  on  with  the  war-whoop 
"  and  fixed  bayonet.  Nothing  will  disconcert  and  terrify 
"  the  Indians  more  than  this.  I  need  not  urge  the  neces- 
"  sity  of  using  every  method  in  your  power  to  gain  in- 
"  telligence  of  the  enemy's  strength,  motives  and  designs  ; 
"  nor  need  I  suggest  the  extraordinary  degree  of  vigi- 
"  lance  and  caution  which  will  be  necessary  to  guard 
"  against  surprises  from  an  adversary  so  secret,  desultory, 
"  and  rapid  as  the  Indians.  If  a  detachment  operates  on 
"  the  Mohawk  river,  the  commanding  officer  should  be 
"  instructed  to  be  very  watchful  that  no  troops  come 
"  from  Oswegatchie  and  Niagara  to  Oswego  without  his 
"  knowledge  ;  and  for  this  purpose  he  should  keep  trusty 
"  spies  at  those  three  places,  to  advertise  him  instantly  of 
"  the  movement  of  any  party,  and  its  force.  This  de- 


78  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign. 

"tachment  should  also  endeavor  to  keep  a  constant 
"  intercourse  with  the  main  body.  More  than  common 
"care  will  be  necessary  of  your  arms  and  ammunition, 
"  from  the  nature  of  the  service  ;  they  should  be  partic- 
"  ularly  inspected  after  a  rain,  or  the  passage  of  any 
"  deep  waters.  After  you  have  very  thoroughly  com- 
"  pleted  the  destruction  of  their  settlements,  if  the  In- 
"  dians  should  show,  a  disposition  for  peace,  I  would  have 
"  you  encourage  it,  on  condition  that  they  will  give  some 
"  decisive  evidence  of  their  sincerity,  by  delivering  up 
"  some  of  the  principal  instigators  of  their  past  hostilities 
"  into  our  hands, — Butler,  Brant,  the  most  mischievous 
"  of  the  Tories  that  have  joined  them,  or  any  others  they 
"  may  have  in  their  power,  that  we  are  interested  to  get 
"  into  ours.  They  may  possibly  be  engaged,  by  address, 
"  secrecy,  and  stratagem,  to  surprise  the  garrison  of 
"  Niagara,  and  the  shipping  on  the  Lakes,  and  put  them 
"  into  our  possession.  This  may  be  demanded  as  a  con- 
"  dition  of  our  friendship,  and  would  be  a  most  import- 
"ant  point* gained.  If  they  can  render  a  service  of  this 
"  kind,  you  may  stipulate  to  assist  them  in  their  distress 
"  with  supplies  of  provision,  and  other  articles  of  which 
"  they  will  stand  in  need,  having  regard,  in  the  expecta- 
tions you  give  them,  to  our  real  abilities  to  perform. 

"  I  have  no  power  at  present  to  authorize  you  to  con- 
"  clude^  any  treaty  of  peace  with  them  ;  but  you  may 
"  agree  upon  the  terms  of  one,  letting  them  know  that  it 
"  must  be  fully  ratified  by  Congress,  and  giving  every 
"  assurance  that  it  will.  I  shall  write  to  Congress  on  the 
"  subject,  and  endeavor  to  obtain  more  ample  and  definite 
"  authority.  But  you  will  not  by  any  means  listen  to 
"  overtures  of  peace  before  the  total  destruction  of  their 
"  settlements  is  effected.  It  is  likely  enough  that  fear,  if 
"  they  are  unable  to  oppose  us,  will  compel  them  to  make 
"offers  of  peace  ;  or  policy  may  lead  them  to  endeavor 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign.  79 

"to  amuse  us  in  this  way,  to  gain  time  and  succor  for 
"  more  effectual  opposition.  Our  future  security  will  be 
"  in  their  inability  to  injure,  in  the  distance  to  which  they 
"  are  driven,  and  in  the  terror  with  which  the  severity 
"  of  the  chastisement  they  will  receive  will  impress  them. 
"  Peace  without  this  would  be  fallacious  and  temporary. 
"  New  presents,  and  an  addition  of  force  from  the  ene- 
"  ray  would  engage  them  to  break  on  the  first  fair 
"  opportunity,  and  all  the  expense  of  our  extensive  pre- 
"  parations  would  be  lost. 

"  When  we  have  effectually  chastened  them,  we  may 
"  then  listen  to  peace,  and  endeavor  to  draw  further  ad- 
"  vantages  from  their  fear.  But  even  in  that  case,  great 
"  caution  will  be  necessary  to  guard  against  the  snares 
"  which  their  treachery  will  hold  out.  They  must  be 
"  explicit  in  their  promises,  give  substantial  pledges  for 
"  their  performance,  and  execute  their  engagements  with 
"  decision  and  despatch.  Hostages  are  the  only  kind  of 
"  security  to  be  depended  on. 

"  Should  Niagara  fall  into  your  hands  in  the  way  I 
"  have  mentioned,  you  will  do  everything  in  your  power 
"  towards  preserving  and  maintaining  it,  by  establishing 
"  a  chain  of  posts  in  such  manner  as  shall  appear  to  you 
"  most  safe  and  effectual,  and  tending  as  little  to  reduce 
"  our  general  force  as  possible.  This,  however,  we  shall 
"  be  better  able  to  decide  as  the  future  events  of  the 
"  campaign  unfold  themselves.  I  shall  be  more  explicit 
"  on  the  subject  hereafter. 

"  When  you  have  completed  the  objects  of  your  expe- 
"  dition,  unless  otherwise  directed  in  the  meantime,  you 
"  will  return  to  form  a  junction  with  the  main  army,  by 
"the  most  convenient,  expeditious,  and  secure  route,  ac- 
"  cording  to  circumstances.  The  Mohawk  river,  if  it 
"  can  be  done  without  too  great  risk,  will  perhaps  be  most 
"  eligible  on  several  accounts.  Much  should  depend  on 


8o  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign. 

"  the  relative  position  of  the  main  army  at  the  time,  and 
'•  it  is  impossible  to  foresee  what  may  be  the  exigencies 
"  of  the  service  in  that  quarter.  This,  united  with  other 
"  important  reasons,  makes  it  essential  that  your  opera- 
"  tions  should  be  as  rapid,  and  that  the  expedition  should 
"  be  performed  in  as  little  time,  as  will  be  consistent  with 
"  its  success  and  efficacy. 

"  And  here  I  cannot  forbear  repeating  to  you  my 
"  former  caution,  that  your  troops  should  move  as  light 
"  and  as  little  encumbered  as  possible,  even  from  their 
"  first  outset.  The  state  of  our  magazines  demands  it 
"  as  well  as  other  considerations.  If  much  time  should 
"  be  lost  in  transporting  the  troops  and  stores  up  the 
"  river,  the  provisions  for  the  expedition  will  be  con- 
"  sumed,  and  the  general  scarceness  of  our  supplies  will 
"  not  permit  them  being  replaced  ;  consequently  the 
"  whole  enterprise  may  be  defeated. 

"  I  would  recommend  it  to  you  for  the  purpose,  that 
"  the  general  officers  should  make  an  actual  inspection 
"  of  the  baggage  of  their  several  brigades ;  and  absolutely 
"  reject,  to  be  left  behind  at  proper  places,  every  article 
"  that  can  be  dispensed  with  on  the  expedition.  This  is 
"  an  extraordinary  case,  and  requires  extraordinary  at- 
"  tention.  Relying  perlectly  on  your  judgment,  pru- 
"  dence  and  activity,  I  have  the  highest  expectation  of 
'•  success  equal  to  our  wishes  ;  and  I  beg  leave  to  assure 
"  you,  that  I  anticipate  with  great  pleasure,  the  honor 
"  which  will  redound  to  yourself,  and  the  advantage  to 
"  the  common  cause,  from  a  happy  termination  of  this 
"  important  enterprise." 


CHAPTER  IV. 

PREPARATIONS   FOR   THE   CAMPAIGN. 

THE  headquarters  of  the  main  division  of  the  army  de- 
signed for  the  Indian  expedition  was  established  at 
Easton,  Pa.,  where,  on  the  24th  of  May,  1779,  General 
Sullivan  issued  a  general  order  concerning  the  arrange- 
ment of  his  forces,  and  their  marching  order.  At  the 
very  outset  the  movement  met  with  a  serious  check, 
which  might  have  proved  fatal  to  its  success,  had  it  not 
been  for  the  wise  and  pacific  measures  adopted  by 
Washington.  The  Jersey  brigade,  which  during  the 
previous  winter  had  been  stationed  at  Elizabethtown, 
was  ordered  in  May  to  march  by  regiments  to  Easton, 
there  to  join  the  force  under  Sullivan.  On  the  eve  of 
the  march,  General  Maxwell  wrote  that  the  officers  of 
the  first  regiment  had  addressed  a  remonstrance  to  the 
New  Jersey  Legislature,  stating  that  unless  in  three  days 
the  complaints  concerning  their  pay  and  support  receiv- 
ed attention,  they  were  to  be  considered  as  having 
resigned.  Still,  as  they  said,  they  were  willing  to  con- 
tinue preparations  for  the  march,  and  to  remain  in  their 
stations  until  a  reasonable  opportunity  had  been  given 
for  the  appointment  of  their  successors.  General  Max- 
well added,  "  This  is  a  step  they  are  extremely  unwilling 
to  take,  but  it  is  such  as  I  make  no  doubt  they  will  all 
take  ;  nothing  but  necessity — their  not  being  able  to 
support  themselves  in  time  to  come,  and  being  loaded 
with  debts  contracted  in  time  past,  could  have  induced 
them  to  resign  at  so  critical  a  juncture."  This  intelli- 
gence caused  infinite  concern  to  Washington.  He  took 


82  History  of  Sullivan's  Campaign. 

a  deep  interest  in  the  welfare  of  the  army,  and  felt 
keenly  its  distress  and  suffering.  He  realized  the  justice 
of  the  demand  which  these  men  made,  knew  that  they 
and  their  families  were  actually  suffering,  and  that  their 
appeals  to  the  civil  authorities  for  justice  had  been  disre- 
garded. Still  he  could  not  approve  the  step  they  had 
taken,  while  he  hesitated  to  use  his  authority  in  adopting 
any  harsh  measures.  He  accordingly  addressed  the 
mutinous  officers  a  letter  in  which,  appealing  to  their 
patriotism  and  relying  upon  his  own  influence,  he  sought 
to  move  them  from  their  purpose.  "  The  patience  and 
perseverance  of  the  army,"  he  wrote,  "  have  been,  under 
every  disadvaptage,  such  as  to  do  them  the  highest  honor 
both  at  home  and  abroad,  and  have  inspired  me  with  an 
unlimited  confidence  of  their  virtue,  which  has  consoled 
me  amidst  every  perplexity  and  reverse  of  fortune  to 
which  our  affairs,  in  a  struggle  of  this  nature,  were 
necessarily  exposed.  Now  that  we  have  made  so  great 
a  progress  to  the  attainment  of  the  end  we  have  in  view, 
so  that  we  cannot  fail  without  a  most  shameful  desertion 
of  our  own  interests,  anything  like  a  change  of  conduct 
would  imply  a  very  unhappy  change  of  principles,  and  a 
forgetfulness,  as  well  of  what  we  owe  to  ourselves,  as  to 
our  country.  Did  I  suppose  it  possible  this  could  be 
the  case,  even  in  a  single  regiment  of  the  army,  I  should 
be  mortified  and  chagrined  beyond  expression."  After  a 
review  of  their  action,  and  the  probable  evils  that  would 
flow  from  it,  if  persisted  in,  Washington  made  this  clos- 
ing appeal :  "  I  am  now  to  request  that  you  will  convey 
my  sentiments  to  the  gentlemen  concerned,  and  endeavor 
to  make  them  sensible  that  they  are  in  an  error.  The 
service  for  which  the  regiment  was  intended  will  not 
admit  of  delay.  It  must  at  all  events  march  on  Monday 
morning,  in  the  first  place  to  camp,  and  further  direc- 
tions will  be  given  when  it  arrives.  I  am  sure  I  shall 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign.  83 

not  be  mistaken  in  expecting  a  prompt  and  cheerful  obe- 
dience." This  letter  did  not  have  the  desired  effect,  as 
the  rebellious  officers  still  maintained  their  position.  In 
their  reply  to  Washington  they  expressed  regret  that 
they  had  caused  him  pain,  yet  they  justified  their  action. 
They  said :  "  At  length  we  have  lost  all  confidence  in 
our  Legislature.  Reason  and  experience  forbid  that  we 
should  have  any.  Few  of  us  have  private  fortunes ; 
many  of  us  have  families  who  already  are  suffering  every 
thing  that  can  be  received  from  an  ungrateful  country. 
Are  we  then  to  suffer  all  the  inconveniences,  fatigues, 
and  dangers  of  a  military  life,  while  our  wives  and  our 
children  are  perishing  for  want  of  common  necessaries  at 
home : — and  that  without  the  most  distant  prospect  of 
reward,  for  our  pay  is  now  only  nominal?  We  are  sensi- 
ble that  your  excellency  cannot  wish  nor  desire  this 
from  us." 

By  this  time  the  Legislature  of  New  Jersey  was 
alarmed  by  the  determined  attitude  of  these  officers,  and 
made  provision  for  the  immediate  payment  of  the  regi- 
ment, upon  which  the  officers  withdrew  their  remon- 
strance. Thus  was  a  serious  disaster  to  the  cause 
diverted  by  Washington's  conciliatory  yet  firm  course 
in  dealing  with  these  justly  indignant  men.  The  regi- 
ment immediately  marched  to  Easton,  and  amply 
sustained  the  good  reputation  it  had  already  won  for 
valor  and  patriotism. 

In  the  latter  part  of  June  General  Sullivan  moved  his. 
headquarters  to  Wyoming,  where  he  remained  about  a 
month,  busy  with  his  preparations  for  the  march.  This 
place  which  had  once  been  a  prosperous  village,  was  now 
but  little  more  than  a  desolate  waste,  and  the  crumbling 
ruins,  as  well  as  the  scores  of  bereaved  widows  and 
children  which  the  soldiers  found  here,  told  the  story  of 
the  fatal  blow  which  the  savages  had  struck  the  year 
before. 


84  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign. 

At  this  stage  much  embarassment  was  felt  by  the 
delay  in  filling  Sullivan's  requisitions  and  furnishing 
the  quotas  of  men  promised  him.  The  impoverished 
condition  of  the  public  exchequer  was  in  some  degree 
responsible  for  this,  while  the  dishonesty  and  inefficiency 
of  contractors  and  commissaries  added  to  the  delays  and 
difficulties.  There  were  other  causes  at  work,  however, 
which  not  only  delayed  the  expedition,  but  seriously 
threatened  its  success.  Pennsylvania  had  been  relied 
upon  to  furnish  the  bulk  of  the  supplies,  as  well  as  most 
of  the  volunteers  for  the  independent  companies.  Yet 
from  the  start  the  people  of  that  commonwealth  failed  to 
give  the  expedition  their  warm  support  and  encourage- 
ment. The  Quakers  were  opposed  to  any  chastisement 
of  the  Indians,  and  advocated  mild  and  conciliatory 
measures.  Another  party  of  men  were  offended  because 
a  New  Englander  had  been  appointed  to  command  the 
expedition  instead  of  a  Pennsylvanian.  Still  others,  who 
owned  grants  covering  the  Wyoming  valley,  which  had 
involved  them  in  heated  controversies  with  the  settlers 
of  that  place,  whom  they  regarded  as  squatters  on  their 
lands,  were  rejoiced  that  the  Indians  had  visited  the 
settlement,  and  openly  declared  the  fate  of  the  settlers 
richly  deserved.  These  persons  discouraged  the  expe- 
dition, and  secretly  threw  every  obstacle  in  its  way  that 
it  was  in  their  power  to  do.  Another  cause  contributed 
to  the  difficulties  which  had  to  be  met  at  the  outset. 
Congress  had  laid  an  embargo  on  flour,  which  had  re- 
duced its  price.  Pennsylvania,  being  a  large  exporter 
of  this  commodity,  found  her  income  seriously  affected, 
and  demanded  that  the  embargo  should  be  removed, 
backing  up  the  demand  with  the  assertion  that  she 
should  hesitate  to  sell  any  flour  to  the  general  govern- 
ment until  it  was  complied  with.  Not  satisfied  with 
secret  opposition,  these  disaffected  parties  carried  their 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign.  85 

animosity  to  the  very  doors  of  Congress,  and  that 
body  was  disposed  to  censure  Sullivan  for  the  large 
requisitions  he  made,  and  especially  for  the  luxuries, 
such  as  eggs,  tongues,  etc.,  for  which  he  asked.  Such 
requisitions  were  deemed  unsoldier-like,  and  created 
considerable  feeling  against  him.  "  When  Sullivan  was 
preparing  to  proceed,"  says  Gordon,  "  he  presented  to 
Congress  a  most  expensive  and  extravagant  list  of  enu- 
merated articles,  in  which  was  a  large  number  of  eggs. 
He  made  his  detachment  equal  to  7000  rations  per  day. 
Congress  was  so  disgusted  with  the  great  demand,  and 
some  of  the  specified  articles,  that  for  some  time  the}7 
would  not  order  him  any.  The  quantity  of  rifle  powder 
required  was  more  than  could,  on  any  calculation,  be 
necessary." 

The  supplies,  tardily  and  reluctantly  as  they  were  fur- 
nished, were  inferior  in  quantity  and  much  less  than 
the  needs  of  the  army  demanded.*  When  he  reached 
Wyoming,  he  wrote  that  "  of  the  salted  meat  on  hand, 
there  is  not  a  single  pound  fit  to  be  eaten."  "  I  requested 
Com.  Elaine,"  he  adds,  "  to  forward  a  thousand  head  of 
cattle.  Some  few  more  than  two  hundred  arrived,  and 
about  one  hundred  and  fifty  more  having  arrived  at 
Sunbury  were  left,  being  too  poor  to  walk  and  many  of 
them  unable  to  stand."  More  than  a  third  of  his  force 
were  "  without  a  shirt  to  their  backs."  His  stay  here 

*  Examples  of  the  supplies  provided  and  requisitions  made  for  the  army  will 
be  interesting.  Before  leaving  Wyoming  there  had  been  furnished,  of  felling 
axes,  1,337  ;  horse  shoes,  4,285  ;  candlesticks,  loo ;  spades,  254;  shovels,  385. 
Some  of  the  requisitions  for  supplies  show  the  nature  of  the  service  expected. 
Tbe  German  Regiment,  July  2d,  1779,  besides  wanting  guns,  flints,  drum 
heads,  fifes,  etc.,  called  for  325  tomahawks.  On  the  same  date  General  Hand's 
brigade  wanted  pack  saddles,  letter  paper,  wafers,  quills,  ink  powders,  bells  and 
bell  collars,  sealing  wax,  etc.  No  call  was  made  for  scalping  knives,  which 
induces  the  belief  that  the  soldiers  were  already  provided  with  them,  since 
border  life  had  taught  them  to  use  the  knife  and  tomahawk  as  deftly  as  the 
Indian  did. 


86  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign. 

was  lengthened  into  weeks  by  the  delay  in  replacing  the 
supplies  which  "  had  been  spoiled  through  the  villainy  or 
carelessness  of  the  commissaries."  Beside  this  trouble 
with  the  supplies,  other  difficulties  were  encountered. 
Sullivan  was  disappointed  in  regard  to  the  independent 
companies  of  Pennsylvania,  the  people  of  that  Colony 
having  failed  to  volunteer  as  they  had  been  expected  to 
do,  and  their  place  had  to  be  supplied.  Moses  Van 
Campen  was  a  quartermaster  in  Sullivan's  army  at  this 
time,  and  we  find  in  his  narrative  much  that  throws 
light  on  the  incidents  and  difficulties  of  the  period  spent 
at  Wyoming.  His  time  was  spent  in  collecting  supplies 
for  the  army,  purchasing  of  the  settlers  up  and  down 
the  river  such  provisions  as  they  had  to  spare.  These 
were  transported  to  camp  in  boats  that  plied  on  the 
river. 

All  these  delays  and  disappointments  were  particularly 
annoying  to  Washington.  He  had  urged  despatch,  but 
there  was  only  irksome  inactivity.  Several  months  had 
now  elapsed  since  the  inception  of  the  campaign,  yet 
the  army  still  lacked  thorough  preparation  and  organ- 
ization, and  had  not  moved  beyond  the  line  of  the 
Pennsylvania  settlements.  Sullivan  has  been  greatly 
blamed  for  this  delay,  but  the  responsibility  rests  in  a 
large  degree  on  the  civil  and  military  authorities  who 
so  reluctantly  aided  him,  or  threw  in  his  pathway  obsta- 
cles that  must  have  disheartened  and  driven  from  the 
service  a  less  patriotic  and  determined  officer. 

On  the  24th  of  July  a  fleet  of  one  hundred  and  thirty- 
four  boats  loaded  with  provisions  of  all  kinds  came  up 
the  river,  and  the  preparations  having  been  finally  com- 
pleted, General  Sullivan,  on  the  3ist  of  July,  began  his 
march  to  Tioga,  where  he  was  to  be  joined  by  Clinton's 
brigade.  The  distance  to  be  traversed  was  eighty  miles, 
through  a  rough,  mountainous  region,  new  to  most  of 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign.  87 

the  command,  and  exceedingly  difficult  for  the  army's 
passage.  The  whole  route  Irom  Easton,  in  fact,  had 
been  through  a  country  so  broken  and  mountainous  that 
the  soldiers  who  saw  it  for  the  first  time  thought  it 
would  never  be  settled,  and  one  of  them  stated  in  his 
journal  that  "it  abounded  chiefly  in  deer  and  rattle- 
snakes." Time  has  worked  wonders  in  the  valley  of 
the  Susquehanna,  as  elsewhere,  and  the  once  lonely 
wilderness  teems  with  a  busy  population.  When  ready 
to  march,  the  army  was  organized  as  follows : 

Major  General  John  Sullivan,  Commander-in-Chief : 
Brigadier  General  Edward  Hand,  of  Pennsylvania, 
commanding  the  Light  Corps,  consisting  of  the  regiments 
of  Colonels  Armaud,  Hutley,  (nth  Pa.,)  Schott  (six  com- 
panies), Independent  and  Ranger  companies,  Captain 
Carbury's  Light  Horse,  (afterwards  dismounted,)  Colonel 
William  Butler's  battalion,  (4th  Pa.,)  which  included 
Morgan's  Rifle  corps,  three  companies,  (added  after  the 
junction  with  Clinton,)  and  Captain  Franklin's  Wyoming 
Volunteers.  The  German  Battalion  formerly  connected 
with  Butler's  regiment  was  put  on  the  flanking  division, 
and  replaced  by  two  companies  of  light  infantry  from 
General  Clinton's,  one  from  General  Maxwell's  and  one 
from  General  Poor's  brigade.  Subsequently  these  four 
companies  of  light  infantry,  the  rifle  corps  and  such  rifle- 
men as  might  join  the  army,  were  to  be  considered  a 
separate  corps,  and  kept  in  advance  of  the  army,  as 
General  Hand  should  direct. 

The  brigade  of  Brigadier  General  Enoch  Poor,  of  New 
Hampshire,  consisted  of  Colonel  Cortland's  2d  New 
York  regiment  (afterward  transferred  to  Clinton's  brig- 
ade), Colonel  Scammell's  3d  New  Hampshire  (command- 
ed at  this  time  by  Lieut.  Colonel  Dearborn),  Colonel 
Cilley's  1st  New  Hampshire,  Colonel  Reed's  2d  New 
Hampshire,  and  the  6th  Massachusetts,  commanded  by 


88  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign. 

Major  Whiting,  (transferred  from  Clinton's  brigade  after 
the  union  of  the  two  armies.) 

The  New  Jersey  brigade  was  under  the  command  of 
Brigadier  General  William  Maxwell,  of  that  State,  and 
consisted  of  Ogden's  ist  New  Jersey,  Shreve's  26.  New 
Jersey,  Dayton's  3d  New  Jersey,  Spencer's  Independent 
New  Jersey,  Farman's  regiment  (united  with  Spencer's 
command  June  26th,  1779),  and  Sheldon's  Light  Dra- 
goons. 

Colonel  Thomas  Proctor, commanded  the  ist  Pennsyl- 
vania regiment  of  artillery,  which  consisted  of  four 
brass  3-pounders,  and  two  6-pounders,  two  5^  inch 
howitzers,  and  one  cohorn,  a  small  gun  for  throwing 
shells,  having  four  short  legs.  It  could  be  easily  carried, 
and  the  legs  permitted  it  to  rest  solidly  on  rough  ground. 
From  the  fact  that  it  turned  over  backward  whenever 
fired,  the  soldiers  gave  it  the  name  of  "  grasshopper." 

A  force  consisting  of  one  hundred  men,  with  two  Cap- 
tains and  six  subalterns,  was  left  at  the  Wyoming  fort, 
under  the  command  of  Colonel  Zebulon  Butler. 

General  Sullivan's  force  at  Wyoming  has  generally 
been  estimated  at  3,500  men  ;  it  was  in  fact  much  less. 
The  total  fit  for  duty  July  22,  was  reported  as  follows : 
Brigadier  Generals,  3  ;  Colonels,  7  ;  Lieut.  Colonels,  6 ; 
Majors,  8  ;  Captains,  48  ;  Chaplains,  3  ;  Surgeons,  10  ; 
Drum  Majors,  8 ;  Fife  Majors,  3  ;  drummers  and  fifers, 
131  ;  rank  and  file,  2,312.  The  full  compliment  of  a 
Continental  regiment  was  about  688  men,  but  in  actual 
service  they  did  not  average  300,  all  told.  The  full 
force  after  the  junction  with  Clinton,  did  not  therefore 
much  exceed,  if  any,  3,800  men,  and  after  the  estab- 
lishment of  the  fort  at  Tioga,  the  total  of  men  who 
marched  into  the  Indian  country  must  have  been  less 
than  3,500. 

The  order  of  march  which  General  Sullivan  had  pre- 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign.  89 

scribed  was  for  the  light  corps  to  march  about  a  mile  in 
advance  of  the  main  body,  with  a  strong  line  of  skir- 
mishers in  front.  Strong  flanking  parties  were  to  guard 
the  right  and  left,  and  inside  those  lines  the  main  body 
was  to  march,  with  the  artillery  and  pack-horses  in  the 
center.  Clinton's  and  Hand's  brigades  were  on  the 
right  of  the  line,  and  Poor's  and  Maxwell's  on  the  left. 
A  strong  rear  guard,  composed  in  part  of  riflemen, 
guarded  against  attack  in  that  quarter.  Specific  direc- 
tions were  given  for  forming  the  order  of  battle  in  case 
of  attack,  and  this  order  of  march  was  to  be  adhered  to 
wherever  the  nature  of  the  country  would  permit.  This 
was  not  often  the  case,  however,  and  the  line  was  often 
five  or  six  miles  long,  when  proceeding  through  the  nar- 
row valleys  and  crawling  along  the  precipitous  hillsides. 
A  company  of  pioneers,  drafted  from  the  line,  was  form- 
ed to  proceed  in  front  of  the  artillery.  They  frequently 
rendered  great  service  in  opening  a  road  for  the  passage 
of  the  guns. 

The  army  commenced  its  march  about  one  o'clock  of 
the  day  named,  and  as  it  moved  up  the  Susquehanna  it 
presented  a  grand  spectacle.  The  baggage  and  artillery 
had  been  placed  in  two  hundred  and  fourteen  boats, 
under  the  command  of  Colonel  Proctor,  which  were 
propelled  against  the  stream  by  soldiers,  who  used  set- 
ting poles  for  the  purpose.  In  addition  to  these,  there 
were  fourteen  hundred  pack-horses,  bearing  the  supplies 
and  provisions,  which  moved  along  the  narrow  pathway 
on  the  east  bank  of  the  river,  in  single  file,  forming  a 
line  several  miles  long.  The  boats  arranged  in  regular 
order  on  the  stream,  presented  a  beautiful  appearance, 
and  as  they  moved  forward,  a  salute  was  fired  by  those 
in  the  fort,  and  answered  by  the  hearty  cheers  of  the 
boatmen.  The  army,  as  it  thus  commenced  its  march, 
was  visible  from  the  mountain  sides  for  miles,  "  and  was 


90  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign. 

well  calculated  to  form  a  powerful  impression  upon  the 
minds  of  those  lurking  parties  of  savages  which  still  con- 
tinued to  range  upon  the  mountains." 

The  first  day's  march  brought  the  army  at  four  o'clock 
to  Lackawanuck,  ten  miles  distant.  Here  it  was  com- 
pelled to  wait  until  after  noon  of  the  day  following  for 
the  boats,  which  had  been  delayed  by  the  difficult  navi- 
gation. Two  boats  were  lost,  but  fortunately  most  of 
the  stores  were  saved.  The  march  was  resumed  at 
three  o'clock  P.  M.  A  difficult  path  was  soon  entered 
upon,  skirting  the  precipitous  mountain  side,  below 
which  the  river  flowed  swiftly.  A  detachment  was  sent 
across  the  mountains  to  guard  against  surprises,  while 
the  main  body  slowly  threaded  its  way  along  the  moun- 
tain side.  The  light  corps  reached  Quilutimunk,  a 
distance  of  seven  miles  from  the  last  camp,  at  six 
o'clock  in  the  evening,  but  the  main  body  was  occupied 
nearly  all  night  in  reaching  the  camp.  Large  quantities 
of  baggage  were  dropped  on  the  way,  and  many  pack- 
horses  were  employed  in  bringing  up  the  scattered 
stores.  The  following  day,  Monday,  August  2d,  was 
spent  in  camp  at  this  place.  On  the  3d  the  troops 
marched  across  the  mountains,  passing  Buttermilk 
Falls,  and  about  noon  descended  to  the  river,  and 
a  mile  up  the  stream  reached  Tunkhannunk,  having 
marched  twelve  miles.  On  the  4th  the  army  marched 
fourteen  miles,  crossing  Meshoppen  creek,  and  encamped 
at  Blackwalnut  Bottom,  or  Vanderlip's  Plantation.  The 
boats  were  again  delayed,  and  the  army  did  not  move 
until  nine  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  5th,  when  the 
right  and  left  columns  of  the  light  corps  were  sent  over 
the  mountains,  together  with  the  baggage,  while  the  rest 
of  the  troops  followed  the  bank  of  the  Susquehanna. 
Just  before  reaching  Wyalusing,  a  small  valley  called 
Deprie's  farm  was  reached,  which  was  carefully  recon- 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign.  91 

noitered,  as  the  year  before  Colonel  Hartley  was  attacked 
here  by  the  Indians,  on  his  return  with  a  small  expedition 
from  Tioga.  About  two  o'clock  P.  M.,  Wyalusing  was 
reached,  and  the  army  encamped,  having  marched  about 
ten  miles.  Here  Sullivan  remained  until  the  8th,  de- 
layed by  the  boats  and  a  heavy  rain  which  set  in  on  the 
night  of  the  6th.  The  army  moved  about  ten  o'clock 
A.  M.,  August  8th,  and  when  Standing  Stone  was  reached 
made  a  short  halt  for  refreshment.  At  three  o'clock  P.  M. 
Wysocking  was  reached,  and  the  army  encamped.  A 
small  Indian  encampment,  seemingly  occupied  but  a  few 
days  before,  was  discovered  here.  On  account  of  indis- 
position, General  Sullivan  was  obliged  to  come  on  in 
one  of  the  boats. 

The  route  on  the  Qth  took  the  army  over  Break  Neck 
Hill,  where  the  path  was  not  more  than  a  foot  wide, 
with  a  precipice  180  feet  deep  tm  the  left.  Several 
pack-horses  and  three  head  of  cattle  fell  from  this  preci- 
pice and  were  killed.  A  march  of  nine  and  one-half 
miles  brought  the  army  to  Shesequin,  where  it  en- 
camped. A  small  Indian  village  called  Newtychanning, 
containing  about  thirty  houses,  was  destroyed  this  day. 
It  was  near  the  mouth  of  Sugar  creek,  on  the  west  side 
of  the  Susquehanna,  and  was  burnt  by  a  detachment 
from  the  boats,  sent  on  shore  by  Colonel  Proctor. 

A  heavy  rain  on  the  loth  kept  the  army  in  camp.  The 
day  following  it  moved  at  eight  o'clock  A.  M.,  and  soon 
reached  the  fording  place,  where  the  troops  crossed  to 
the  west  side  of  the  Susquehanna,  great  precautions 
being  taken  to  guard  against  surprise  while  fording  the 
stream.  Queen  Esther's  Plain  was  then  entered  upon, 
and  soon  the  ruins  of  Queen  Esther's  Castle,  destroyed 
the  year  before  by  Colonel  Hartley,  were  reached. 
About. a  mile  beyond  this  the  army  came  to  Tioga,  at 
the  confluence  of  the  Tioga  and  Susquehanna  rivers. 


92  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign. 

About  a  mile  above  the  confluence  of  the  streams 
they  come  closely  together,  the  distance  between  them 
being  less  than  two  hundred  yards.  Below  this  narrow 
isthmus  a  wide  flat  spreads  out,  reaching  to  the  point 
where  the  rivers  mingle  their  waters.  Four  strong 
blockhouses  were  built  on  this  isthmus,  which  were 
afterward  connected  by  palisades  by  Colonel  Shreve, 
who  was  left  in  command  of  Fort  Sullivan,  as  it  was 
called,  while  the  army  was  invading  the  Indian  country. 
The  modern  village  of  Athens  now  occupies  this  site, 
the  academy  building  marking  almost  the  identical  spot 
where  the  fort  stood.  Just  above  the  fort  General 
Hand's  light  corps  encamped,  and  on  the  flat  below  the 
main  body,  together  with  the  volunteer  boatmen  and 
artillery. 

In  reaching  the  camp  ground  the  soldiers  were  com- 
pelled to  wade  the  Tioga,  which  was  waist  deep  and 
flowed  in  a  swift  current,  rendering  the  passage  a  diffi- 
cult one,  especially  as  the  men  were  burdened  with 
heavy  packs.  The  long  march  had  tested  severely  their 
powers  of  endurance,  and  several  had  died  on  the  way 
from  the  effects  of  the  heat  and  exhaustion,  while  one 
was  accidentally  drowned.  As  the  army  was  to  await 
the  arrival  of  General  Clinton,  the  soldiers  welcomed 
the  prospect  of  a  few  days'  rest  in  camp. 

Meanwhile  the  Indians  had  been  gathering  at  Che- 
mung,  an  Indian  village  on  the  Tioga,  twelve  miles 
from  Tioga,  from  whence  their  sorties  gave  considerable 
trouble.  They  watched  every  path  leading  from  Sulli- 
van's camp,  that  they  might  cut  off  any  stragglers  or 
small  parties  sent  out  from  the  army.  The  pack-horses 
having  wanctered  away  to  an  adjacent  plain,  they  watched 
for  the  men  sent  in  search  of  them.  General  Sullivan  de- 
termined to  entrap  these  Indians,  and  for  that  purpose 
sent  for  Moses  Van  Campen,  whom  he  directed  to  pro- 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign.  93 

ceed  to  the  plain  with  a  lew  men  and  watch  for  the 
savages.  Sullivan's  plan  was,  for  the  detachment  to 
conceal  themselves,  while  a  sentinel,  posted  in  some  tall 
tree,  should  give  the  signal  upon  the  approach  of  the 
Indians.  The  sentinel  was  to  be  provided  with  a  cord, 
having  attached  to  it  a  piece  of  lead  and  a  bit  of  paper ; 
this  he  was  to  lower  from  the  tree  top  a  certain  distance 
for  a  given  number  of  the  foe.  Proceeding  to  the  spot 
selected,  Van  Campen  posted  his  sentinel,  who,  seating 
himself  on  a  limb,  prepared  to  keep  his  watch  of  the 
adjacent  plain.  After  the  lapse  of  an  hour  the  men 
below  saw  the  paper  descend  about  five  feet.  Van 
Campen  exclaimed  :  "  My  good  fellows,  we'll  soon  have 
sport ;  there  are  but  five  of  them."  The  paper  soon 
descended  about  five  feet  further.  "  We'll  have  some- 
thing more  to  do,  there  are  ten  of  them,"  was  Van 
Campen's  comment.  The  signal  continued  dropping, 
however,  until  it  had  descended  fifteen  feet.  Then  Van 
Campen  exclaimed  :  "  We  shall  now,  my  brave  fellows, 
have  enough  of  it,  for  we  are  nearly  equally  manned." 
But  this  comment  had  scarcely  escaped  his  lips  before 
the  sentinel  himself  came  tumbling  to  the  ground  head- 
foremost. He  had  fallen  asleep,  and  unconsciously 
permitted  the  cord  to  slip  through  his  fingers.  The 
party  returned  to  camp,  where  the  incident  afforded 
much  amusement,  although  the  poor  sentry  was  severely 
injured  by  his  fall. 

On  the  same  .day,  August  I2th,  Captain  Cummings, 
with  a  detachment  which  included  Van  Campen,  was 
detailed  for  a  hazardous  duty.  General  Sullivan  had 
determined  to  attack  the  enemy  at  Chemung,  but  before 
doing  so  desired  to  learn  their  position  and  strength. 
The  men  chosen  for  this  duty  were  well  fitted  for  the 
task  by  reason  of  their  knowledge  of  the  Indian  char- 
acter, and  their  experience  in  border  warfare.  Soon 


94  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign. 

after  dark  the  party  set  out,  Van  Campen  and  a  com- 
panion being  arrayed  in  Indian  costume,  consisting  of 
breech-cloth,  leggins,  moccasins,  and  caps  ornamented 
with  feathers.  Advancing  with  the  utmost  caution 
through  the  forest,  they  came  to  a  fording  place,  which, 
to  their  surprise,  they  found  unguarded.  Crossing  the 
river,  they  ascended  a  hill  beyond,  from  which  they 
could  see  the  camp  fires  of  the  enemy.  Moving  nearer, 
the  men  waited  until  the  savages  laid  down  and  seemed 
to  be  sleeping  soundly,  when  Van  Campen  went  forward, 
determined  to  have  a  still  nearer  view  of  his  foe.  With 
a  fool-hardy  boldness  he  went  into  the  very  midst  of  the 
savages,  as  they  laid  about  their  fires.  Remaining  only 
long  enough  to  count  those  about  one  fire,  and  then  the 
number  of  fires,  he  hurried  away,  having  estimated  the 
whole  number  of  Indians  at  seven  hundred.  Having 
accomplished  their  mission,  the  detachment  returned  to 
camp,  which  they  reached  at  daybreak. 

General  Sullivan  now  proceeded  to  put  into  execution 
his  plan  for  driving  the  Indians  from  their  stronghold. 
The  whole  army,  except  two  regiments  left  to  guard  the 
camp,  was  ordered  to  be  ready  to  march  at  nightfall  ot 
August  1 3th.  Only  one  howitzer  was  taken,  Colonel 
Proctor  ingeniously  constructing  a  light  carriage  on 
which  to  carry  it.  General  Hand  was  ordered  to  gain 
the  upper  end  of  the  town,  General  Poor  to  attack  the 
right  of  it,  Colonel  Reid  with  two  regiments  to  pass  to 
the  front  of  the  town,  while  General  Sullivan  was  to 
move  in  person  to  the  lower  end  of  the  town,  thus 
completely  surrounding  it.  The  march  was  attended 
with  great  difficulty,  and  Chemung  was  not  reached 
until  daybreak,  when  it  was  found  that  the  enemv  had 
not  occupied  the  village,  but  had  encamped  a  mile 
higher  up  the  river,  from  which  place  they  fled  with 
such  precipitation  on  the  approach  of  General  Hand  as 
to  leave  behind  many  blankets  and  utensils.  The  village, 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign,  95 

consisting  of  nearly  forty  houses,  located  near  the  pres- 
ent village  .of  the  same  name,  was  burned,  and  about 
sixty  acres  of  corn  were  destroyed.  A  small  party  of 
Indians  and  Tories  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river 
fired  on  the  soldiers,  killing  one  and  wounding  five 
others. 

After  a  short  pause,  General  Hand  moved  on  up  the 
stream,  it  being  understood  that  the  enemy  had  made  a 
stand  about  two  miles  above  their  village.  On  approach- 
ing the  spot,  Van  Campen,  who  was  leading  an  advance 
party,  warned  his  men  that  this  was  an  excellent  place 
for  an  ambuscade.  Every  eye  was  fixed  on  the  hill  they 
were  about  to  ascend,  and  suddenly  the  bushes  at  the 
top  trembled,  and  the  muzzles  of  the  Indians'  rifles  were 
pointed  toward  them  "as  thick  as  hatchel  teeth."  The 
deadly  fire  which  immediately  followed  cut  down  six- 
teen brave  fellows,  three  officers  and  seven  privates 
being  wounded,  and  six  privates  killed.  The  path  ran 
along  the  brink  of  the  river,  and  the  men,  reserving 
their  fire,  threw  themselves  below  the  bank.  Scarcely 
had  they  concealed  themselves  before  half  a  dozen  stal- 
wart savages  rushed  down  the  hill  with  gleaming  knives 
to  scalp  the  dead  and  wounded  soldiers,  when  they  took 
good  aim,  and  the  savages  fell  before  their  fire.  General 
Hand  then  coming  up,  he  ordered  his  men  to  fire  and 
then  to  charge  with  the  bayonet,  when  the  enemy  were 
completely  routed. 

The  army  then  returned  to  Tioga,  having  marched 
about  forty  miles,  and  accomplished  this  work  in  less 
than  twenty-four  hours.  In  the  skirmishing  seven  men 
had  been  killed  and  fifteen  wounded,  chiefly  of  Colonel 
HublSy's  regiment.  General  Sullivan  wrote  at  this  time : 
"  I  am  happy  in  assuring  Congress  that  I  think  no  force 
they  can  send  against  me  after  a  junction  is  formed  with 
General  Clinton  can  possibly  prevent  my  effecting  the 
purpose  of  my  destination." 


CHAPTER   V. 

GENERAL  CLINTON'S   DIVISION. 

HAVING  followed  thus  far  the  incidents  in  the  forma- 
tion and  march  of  General  Sullivan's  division  to 
Tioga,  we  must  now  turn  our  attention  to  the  operations 
of  General  James  Clinton,  who  had  command  of  the 
eastern  division  of  the  expedition.  It  will  be  remem- 
bered that  Clinton  was  to  organize  his  force  in  the 
eastern  part  of  the  state  of  New  York,  and  effect  a 
junction  with  Sullivan  at  Tioga.  Before  doing  so,  how- 
ever, he  took  direction  of  a  minor  expedition  against 
the  Onondagas,  the  destruction  of  whose  villages  formed 
a  part  of  the  general  plan  of  Sullivan's  campaign.  For 
this  purpose  he,  early  in  April,  1779,  detailed  Colonel 
Van  Schaick  of  the  ist  New  York  regiment,  who,  with 
six  companies  of  New  York  troops,  one  Pennsylvania 
company,  one  Massachusetts  company,  and  one  of  rifles, 
amounting  to  about  five  hundred  men,  left  Fort  Schuy- 
ler  on  the  igth  of  that  month,  accompanied  by  Lieut. 
Colonel  Willett  and  Major  Cochran  of  the  3d  New  York 
regiment,  for  the  villages  of  the  Onondagas.  General 
Clinton's  instructions  to  Van  Schaick  were  that  he  was 
to  destroy  the  villages  and  fields  of  that  tribe,  and  to 
take  as  many  prisoners  as  he  could,  but  to  do  this  with 
as  little  bloodshed  as  possible.  The  details  of  this  expe- 
dition are  meagre,  and  the  historian  finds  but  little  to 
record.  The  measure  was  successful,  however,  resulting 
in  the  utter  destruction  of  the  Onondaga  villages,  and 
the  dispersal  of  the  tribe.  A  march  of  three  days,  im- 
peded by  rainy  weather,  swollen  streams  and  morasses, 
brought  the  force  to  the  Indian  villages.  Desiring  to 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign,  97 

open  hostilities  in  as  many  different  quarters  as  possible 
simultaneously,  Van  Schaick  divided  his  force  into  de- 
tachments, to  each  of  which  was  assigned  certain  work. 

Scattering  themselves  through  the  valley  of  the  On- 
ondaga  creek,  the  detachments  fell  suddenly  on  the 
scattered  villages  and  began  their  work  of  destruction. 
The  villages,  comprising  in  all  about  fifty  houses,  were 
burned,  the  cultivated  fields  destroyed,  provisions  wasted 
and  cattle  killed.  Between  twenty  and  thirty  warriors 
were  killed  and  thirty -seven  taken  prisoners.  The  dusky 
inhabitants  fled  precipitately  when  they  saw  their  homes 
invaded  and  their  possessions  so  ruthlessly  destroyed, 
leaving  behind  them  even  their  weapons.  Thus  were 
they  suddenly  reduced  from  a  state  of  plenty  and  fancied 
security  to  want  and  destitution,  yet  this  terrible  punish- 
ment was  richly  merited.  Professing  friendship  for  the 
Americans,  they  had  still  been  guilty  of  many  depreda- 
tions on  the  settlers,  and  their  war  parties  were  account- 
able for  the  torture  and  murder  of  numbers  of  the 
peaceful  inhabitants  about  Fort  Schuyler  and  on  the 
border. 

It  is  said  that  this  expedition  also  had  a  salutary  influ- 
ence on  the  Oneidas,  who  although  actually  friendly  to 
the  Americans,  deemed  it  best  to  make  renewed  over- 
tures, which  they  did  through  a  deputation  sent  to  Fort 
Schuyler  for  that  purpose.  Colonel  Van  Schaick  re- 
turned to  Fort  Schuyler  after  an  absence  of  only  about 
five  and  one-half  days,  and  without  the  loss  of  a  single 
man.  The  entire  distance  marched  was  180  miles  going 
and  returning. 

General  James  Clinton's  brigade,  to  which  the  detach- 
ment engaged  in  the  expedition  just  mentioned  belonged, 
included  the  following  regiments,  viz :  Colonel  Peter 
Gansevoort's  3d  New  York  Line ;  the  4th  New  York, 
commanded  by  Lieut.-Colonel  Fred  Weissenfels  ;  the  5th 


98  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign. 

New  York  (Independent),  commanded  by  Colonel  Lewis 
Dubois;  the  6th  Massachusetts  (transferred  to  Poor's 
brigade  after  arriving  at  Tioga),  and  Captain  Harper, 
with  volunteers.  The  2d  New  York  was  transferred 
from  Poor's  brigade  to  Clinton's  August  23d,  and  the 
4th  Pennsylvania  Regiment  from  Clinton's  brigade  to 
Hand's  at  the  same  time.  The  whole  force  amounted 
to  about  1400  men.  Clinton  was  ordered  early  in  the 
spring  to  rendezvous  at  Canajoharie,  where  he  was  to 
be  subject  to  the  orders  of  General  Sullivan,  and  either 
effect  a  junction  with  the  latter  by  the  way  of  the  Sus- 
quehanna,  or  proceed  westward  through  the  Mohawk 
valley  and  co-operate  with  the  main  army  as  seemed 
most  advisable. 

In  accordance  with  these  instructions  General  Clinton 
busied  himself  in  concentrating  his  troops  at  Canajo- 
harie, and  in  gathering  the  supplies  necessary  for  the 
expedition.  Boats  were  provided  at  Schenectady,  which 
ascended  the  Mohawk  to  Canajoharie,  whence  they 
were  to  be  transported  to  the  head  of  Otsego  lake. 
Large  quantities  of  stores  were  also  sent  to  Fort 
Schuyler,  to  be  ready  in  case  of  emergency,  and  every 
provision  was  made  for  the  success  of  the  expedition 
that  was  dictated  by  the  prudence  and  experience  of 
the  commanding  officer.  During  this  time  General 
Clinton  was  in  constant  communication  with  General 
Washington,  and  with  his  brother,  Governor  Clinton, 
both  of  whom  were  giving  the  enterprise  every  aid  and 
encouragement  within  their  power.  Realizing  the  im- 
portance of  the  movement,  and  anticipating  from  it 
results  of  the  greatest  moment,  they  anxiously  watched 
every  step  taken,  and  urged  on  the  preparations  with 
impatient  zeal. 

On  the  3d  of  June,  1779,  General  Sullivan  instructed 
Clinton  to  proceed  with  his  preparations  for  effecting  a 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign.  99 

juncture  with  the  main  army,  but  his  letter  found  the 
latter  already  well  advanced  with  his  arrangements. 
On  the  1 6th  of  June  General  Clinton  arrived  at  Canajo- 
harie  in  person,  where  his  troops  were  already  gathered. 
He  immediately  commenced  to  open  a  road  to  the  head 
of  Otsego  lake,  a  distance  of  twenty  miles,  over  which 
his  boats  and  army  stores  were  to  be  transported.  The 
work  was  beset  with  difficulties,  the  route  being  hilly 
and  through  an  unbroken  wilderness,  but  the  men 
worked  with  such  zeal  under  the  inspiration  of  their 
earnest  leader  that  but  a  few  days  elapsed  before  the 
entire  force,  with  baggage  and  supplies,  were  at  the 
head  of  the  lake.  The  boats  provided  for  the  expedition 
numbered  two  hundred  and  twenty,  and  these  had  to 
be  transported  across  the  twenty  miles  of  wilderness  in 
wagons,  four  horses  being  required  for  each  boat.  Not- 
withstanding this,  Clinton  was  able  to  notify  General 
Sullivan  on  the  26th  of  June  that  one  hundred  and  sev- 
enty-three boats  had  already  arrived  at  the  lake,  thirty 
more  were  on  the  way,  and  the  remainder  would  be 
forwarded  immediately  on  their  arrival  from  Schenec- 
tady.  All  the  supplies  and  provisions  for  a  three  months' 
campaign,*  had  also  been  transported  'to  this  point,  and 
the  army  was  nearly  ready  for  the  advance  to  Tioga. 

Only  two  incidents  of  importance  occurred  while  the 
army  was  engaged  in  these  operations.  One  was  the 
arrest  of  two  spies,  Hare,  a  lieutenant  in  the  British 
army,  and  Newberry,  a  Tory  sergeant,  both  of  whom 
had  been  residents  of  Tryon  county,  and  identified  with 
many  of  the  border  outrages.  At  the  head  of  sixty  war- 
riors they  were  at  this  time  preparing  for  a  descent 


*  Nothing  gave  General  Washington  greater  dissatisfaction  than  the  large 
amount  of  stores  and  baggage  which  Clinton  had  provided,  and  which  the 
Commander-in-chief  regarded  as  a  serious  incumbrance.  He  forcibly  expressed 
his  displeasure  in  a  letter  to  General  Sullivan  July  1st,  1779. 


IOO  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign.  • 

on  Cherry  Valley,  Schoharie  and  the  vicinity  of  Fort 
Schuyler,  when  the  leaders  were  fortunately  captured. 
They  were  tried  by  a  court  martial,  and  being  convicted, 
were  "  hanged  pursuant  to  the  sentence  of  the  court, 
and  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  all  the  inhabitants  of  the 
county,"  as  Clinton  wrote  to  General  Schuyler.  The 
latter  officer,  in  replying,  said :  "  In  executing  Hare,  you 
have  rid  the  State  of  the  greatest  villain  in  it.  I  hope 
his  abettors  in  this  country  will  meet  with  a  similar 
exaltation." 

The  other  incident  referred  to  was  a  series  of  confer- 
ences with  the  Oneidas,  with  reference  to  their  joining 
the  expedition.  General  Sullivan  had  expressed  a  desire 
that  Clinton  should  induce  as  large  a  number  of  the 
Oneidas  as  possible  to  engage  in  the  service.  General 
Clinton  was  opposed  to  such  a  departure  from  the  pol- 
icy which  had  thus  far  been  observed  in  the  conduct  of 
the  war  regarding  the  employment  of  savage  allies,  and 
much  preferred  that  the  example  of  the  British  in  this 
particular  might  not  be  followed.  Yielding,  however, 
to  Sullivan's  importunities,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Kirkland,  the 
Oneida  missionary,  was  summoned  to  Albany  for  con- 
sultation with  the  colonial  authorities.  From  thence  he 
was  despatched  to  Sullivan's  army,  which  he  joined  as  a 
chaplain,  while  the  task  of  securing  the  services  of  the 
Oneidas  was  assigned  to  Mr.  Deane,  the  Indian  inter- 
preter at  Fort  Schuyler.  His  efforts  met  with  such 
success  that  nearly  every  Oneida  warrior  and  many  of 
those  Onondagas  who  were  still  friendly  to  the  Ameri- 
cans, volunteered  to  join  the  expedition.  Just  as  this 
arrangement  had  been  consummated,  however,  and 
after  Clinton  had  written  to  General  Sullivan  on  the 
26th  of  June  that  Deane,  at  the  head  of  the  warriors, 
would  join  him  on  the  following  Saturday,  a  circum 
stance  occurred  which  changed  the  whole  aspect  ol 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign.  101 

affairs,  and  resulted  in  the  loss  to  the  Americans  of  the 
services  of  the  entire  Oneida  force,  with  the  exception 
of  two  or  three  of  their  warriors.  This  change  was 
wrought  by  an  address  sent  to  the  Oneidas  by  the  Brit- 
ish General  Haldimand,  which  so  filled  them  with  alarm 
for  the  safety  of  their  homes  that  they  were  reluctant  to 
leave  them  unprotected.  General  Haldimand  in  his  ad- 
dress recounted  the  wicked  course  of  the  Americans  in 

% 

rebelling  against  the  King,  through  whose  deceitful  mach- 
inations they  also  had  been  led  to  take  a  different  part  from 
the  rest  of  the  Five  Nations,  desert  the  King's  cause,  and 
forget  all  their  former  engagements.  He  reminded  them 
of  their  pledge  of  strict  neutrality  at  the  outbreak  of  the 
troubles,  and  asserted  that  they  had  not  adhered  to  their 
promises,  but  had  given  aid  and  comfort  to  the  enemy, 
and  assumed  an  insolent  and  daring  position  toward 
the  King's  subjects  and  their  confederates  of  the  Five 
Nations  who  had  embraced  the  British  cause.  "  In  con- 
sequence of  this  your  daring  and  insolent  behavior," 
Haldimand  wrote,  "  I  must  insist  that  you  declare  your- 
selves immediately  on  the  receipt  of  this  my  speech  and 
message,  whether  you  mean  to  persist  in  this  your  daring 
and  insulting  course."  As  if  this  demand  were  not 
enough,  he  accompanied  it  with  threats  of  dire  ven- 
geance. "  Do  not  imagine,"  he  said,  "that  the  King  has 
hitherto  treated  the  rebels  and  their  adherents  with  so 
much  mildness  and  indulgence,  out  of  any  apprehen- 
sion of  their  strength,  or  getting  the  better.  No,  by  no 
means.  For  you  will  find  that  in  case  you  slight  or 
disregard  this  my  last  offer  of  peace,  I  shall  soon  con- 
vince you  that  I  have  such  a  number  of  Indian  allies  to 
let  loose  upon  you,  as  will  instantly  convince  you  of 
your  folly  when  too  late,  as  I  have  hardly  been  able  to 
restrain  them  from  falling  upon  you  for  some  time  past. 
I  must  therefore  once  more  repeat  to  you  that  this  is 


IO2  History  of  Sulhvaris  Campaign. 

my  last  and  final  message  to  you ;  and  that  you  do  not 
hesitate,  or  put  off  giving  me  your  direct  and  decisive 
declaration  of  peace  or  war,  that  in  case  of  the  latter 
(knowing  that  there  are  still  some  of  your  nation  who 
are  friends  to  the  King  and  the  Five  Nations),  I  may 
give  them  timely  warning  to  separate  themselves  from 
you." 

While  negotiations  with  the  Oneidas  were  in  progress, 
Clinton  was  busy  with  his  preparations  for  the  campaign, 
and  on  the  3Oth  of  June  he  wrote  to  General  Sullivan 
that  these  were  completed.  He  had  at  the  head  of  the 
lake  his  entire  force,  with  all  necessary  stores  and  muni- 
tions of  war,  and  two  hundred  and  ten  boats  in  which  to 
transport  them  to  the  foot  of  the  lake,  and  thence  down 
the  Susquehanna  branch  to  Tioga.  On  the  ist  of  July 
he  joined  the  force  himself,  and  embarking  on  the  clear 
waters  of  the  lake,  the  army  glided  down  toward  the 
foot.  Otsego  lake  is  famous  for  its  beautiful  scenery, 
which  was  not  without  its  charms  for  the  soldiers  at  this 
time,  although  they  had  before  them  months  of  hardship 
and  privation.  The  lake  is  about  nine  miles  long  and 
from  one  to  three  miles  wide.  High  hills  surround  it, 
and  so  clear  and  deep  is  the  water  that  it  is  said, 

"  Tall  rocks  and  tufted  knolls,  their  face 
Could  on  the  dark  blue  mirror  trace." 

The  hand  of  civilization  had  as  yet  made  but  little  trace 
of  its  presence  in  this  spot,  but,  as  Campbell  says, 
" though 

'  Each  boatman  bending  to  his  oar, 
With  measured  sweep  the  burthen  bore,' 

they  could  not  but  gaze  at  times  with  delight  on  the 
natural  beauties  which  surrounded  them." 

Before  leaving  the  head  of  the  lake  Clinton  received  a 
letter  from  General  Schuyler,  informing  him  that  a  spy 
just  returned  from  Canada  brought  intelligence  that  on 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign.  103 

the  1 8th  of  June  four  hundred  and  fifty  regular  troops, 
one  hundred  Tories  and  thirty  Indians  had  been 
despatched  from  Montreal  to  aid  the  Indians  in  the 
Genesee  country,  and  that  an  additional  force  was  to  be 
sent  on  from  Niagara,  including  a  portion  of  Sir  John 
Johnson's  regiment. 

Having  reached  the  foot  of  Otsego  lake,  Clinton  passed 
his  boats  through  into  the  narrow  outlet  below  which 
forms  the  east  branch  of  the  Susquehanna.  He  then 
caused  a  dam  to  be  built  across  the  foot  of  the  lake, 
with  the  design  of  raising  the  water,  purposing,  when 
this  was  done,  to  tear  away  the  dam  and  float  his  boats 
down  the  stream  on  the  rising  tide.  While  waiting  for 
this  rising  of  the  waters,  Mr.  Deane  arrived  on  the  5th 
of  July,  with  thirty-five  Oneida  warriors,  who  came  to 
explain  why  the  warriors  of  their  tribe  had  not  joined 
the  expedition.  General  Clinton  held  a  conference  with 
them  the  same  day,  when  they  delivered  to  him  the  fol- 
lowing message : 

"  Brother :  We  suppose  you  imagine  we  have  come 
here  in  order  to  attend  you  on  your  expedition,  but  we 
are  sorry  to  inform  you  that  our  situation  is  such  that  it 
will  not  admit  of  it. 

"  Brother  :  From  intelligence  which  we  may  depend 
upon,  we  have  reason  to  believe  that  the  Six  Nations 
mean  to  embrace  the  opportunity  of  our  absence  in 
order  to  destroy  our  castles ;  these  accounts  we  have  by 
spies  from  among  them,  and  we  know  that  a  considera- 
ble body  of  them  are  now  collected  at  Cayuga  for  that 
purpose,  waiting  in  expectation  of  our  warriors  leaving 
the  castle  to  join  you. 

"  Brother :  It  was  our  intention  to  join  you  upon 
your  intended  route,  and  hope  that  you  will  not  think 
hard  of  it  that  we  do  not ;  but  such  is  our  present  dan- 
ger, that  in  case  we  leave  our  castle  it  must  be  cut  off,  as 
a  large  party  of  the  enemy  are  waiting  for  that  purpose. 


IO4  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign. 

"Brother:  This  is  a  time  of  danger  with  us.  Our 
brethren,  the  Americans,  have  always  promised  us  assist- 
ance for  our  protection  whenever  we  stand  in  need  of 
it;  we  therefore  request  that,  agreeable  to  these  promises, 
we  may  have  some  troops  sent  to  our  assistance  in  this 
time  of  great  danger.  Should  you  send  a  body  of 
troops  to  our  assistance  and  protection,  and  the  enemy 
attack  us,  and  we  should  have  the  fortune  to  beat  them, 
we  will  with  those  troops  pursue  them,  and  join  you 
down  in  their  country  ;  or  if  they  should  not  make  an 
attack  upon  our  castle  in  a  short  time,  we  will  march 
through  their  castles*  until  we  join  you." 

To  this  explanation  and  petition  for  protection,  Clinton 
replied  that  the  present  expedition  was  intended  to 
chastise  those  nations  who  had  broken  faith  with  the 
Americans  and  joined  the  enemy.  The  force  already 
gathered  was  quite  sufficient  for  the  purpose,  and  the 
entire  plan  of  the  campaign  had  been  considered  and 
forwarded  by  the  great  council  of  the  nation.  It  was 
not  desired  that  any  great  number  of  the  Oneidas  should 
leave  their  homes  to  join  the  expedition.  An  invitation 
had  been  given  to  the  Oneidas,  the  Tuscaroras  and  such 
Onondagas  as  professed  friendship  for  the  Americans,  to 
go  with  them,  that  they  might  have  an  opportunity  of 
"  evidencing  their  spirit  and  determination  to  partake  of 
our  fortune."  "  I  am  entirely  satisfied,"  said  Clinton , 
"  that  such  only  should  join  me  as  think  proper.  It  is 
not  for  want  of  warriors  that  I  have  given  you  this  invita- 
tion, but  that  every  warrior  who  is  a  friend  to  these 
United  States  may  have  an  equal  opportunity  of  punish- 
ing the  enemies  of  our  country."  He  assured  the  war- 
riors of  his  belief  that  the  hostile  tribes  of  the  Six 
Nations  "  would  find  too  much  to  do  at  home,  to  suffer 
any  of  their  warriors  to  go  abroad  to  do  mischief.'' 

*  It  should  be  remembered  that  castle,  in  this  connection,  means  village. 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign.  105 

However,  he  told  them  that  he  would  immediately  com- 
mand the  officers  at  Fort  Schuyler  to  send  some  troops 
for  the  protection  of  the  Oneidas,  and  to  afford  them  every 
assistance  nee.ded.  He  also  told  them  that  should  they 
find  subsequently  that  their  villages  were  not  in  danger, 
and  any  of  the  warriors  should  join  his  forces,  he  would 
be  glad  to  receive  them,  yet  perhaps  they  would  be  as 
serviceable  where  they  were  as  they  would  be  with 
him. 

In  accordance  with  the  assurances  thus  given,  General 
Clinton  issued  an  order  commanding  the  officer  in  charge 
at  Fort  Schuyler  to  send  a  detachment  of  thirty  or  forty 
men  to  the  Oneida  castle.  In  consequence  of  this  ten  of 
the  principal  Oneidas  returned  to  their  homes,  leaving 
twenty-five  of  their  companions  to  accompany  Clinton. 
Before  reaching  Tioga,  however,  all  but  two  of  these 
deserted.  Of  those  remaining  one  was  Han  Yerry,  a 
devoted  friend  of  the  Americans.  Both  of  these  war- 
riors proved  of  great  service,  in  the  march  through  the 
wilderness,  until  they  fell  victims  to  the  fury  and  hatred 
of  their  hostile  brothers  after  the  army  reached  Conesus 
lake. 

The  Oneidas,  on  the  occasion  of  this  interview  with 
Clinton,  informed  him  that  about  three  hundred  Indians 
and  a  few  Tories  had  departed  from  Cayuga  a  few  days 
before,  for  the  purpose  of  hanging  on  the  outskirts  of 
his  army  and  harrassing  its  march.  It  was  not  believed, 
however,  that  the  foe  would  make  any  decided  stand 
until  the  united  forces  under  Sullivan  should  advance  up 
the  Tioga  river  to  the  fortifications  on  that  stream,  which 
the  Indians  and  Tories  had  already  begun  to  construct. 

On  the  6th  of  July,  while  still  lying  at  the  foot  of  Ot- 
sego  lake,  awaiting  further  orders  from  General  Sullivan, 
Clinton  wrote  to  his  brother,  Governor  Clinton,  as  fol- 
lows : 


io6  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign. 

"  I  have  the  pleasure  to  inform  you  that  I  am  now  at 
"  this  place,  with  two  hundred  and  eight  boats,  with  all 
"  the  stores,  provisions  and  baggage  of  the  army  ;  and 
"  I  am  well  convinced  that  such  a  quantity  of  each  hath 
"  never  before  been  transported  over  so  bad  a  road  in  so 
"  short  a  time  and  with  less  accidents,  so  that  I  am  now 
"  in  the  most  readiness  to  move  down  the  Susquehanna, 
"  whenever  I  receive  General  Sullivan's  orders  for  that 
"  purpose.  I  have  thrown  a  dam  across  the  outlet, 
"  which  I  conceive  will  be  of  infinite  importance,  as  it 
"  has  raised  the  lake  at  least  two  feet,  by  which  the  boats 
"  may  be  taken  down  with  less  danger  than  otherwise, 
"  although,  from  the  intricate  windings  of  the  channel,  I 
"  expect  to  meet  some  difficulties  on  the  way.  It  is  un- 
"  certain  when  I  shall  leave  this  place.  I  received  a  let- 
"  ter  from  General  Sullivan  yesterday,  dated  at  Wyo- 
"  ming,  July  ist,  in  which  he  informs  me  that  he  was 
"  anxiously  waiting  the  arrival  of  his  stores  from  Sun- 
"  bury — that  he  expected  them  daily— that  it  was  deter- 
"  mined  in  council  that  that  army  should  proceed  almost 
"  as  far  as  Tioga  previous  to  my  leaving  the  lake,  as  by 
"  that  means  he  might  make  a  diversion  in  my  favor,  and 
"facilitate  my  movements  down  the  river.  This  I  imag- 
"  ine  to  be  in  consequence  of  a  letter  which  he  probably 
"  has  received  from  General  Washington,  and  one  I  re- 
"  ceived  from  him  dated  the  first  instant,  in  which  his 
"  Excellency  expresses  his  surprise  at  my  taking  so  much 
"  stores  with  me,  when  it  was  determined  that  all  the 
"  supplies  of  the  army  should  come  up  with  General 
"  Sullivan,  and  that  nothing  rnqre  should  come  up  with 
"  me  than  was  absolutely  necessary  for  the  "troops  until 
"the  junction  was  formed  at  Tioga.  However,  as  it  was 
"  General  Sullivan's  orders  to  bring  what  provisions  1 
"  could,  and  as  his  Excellency  added  in  his  letter  to  me 
"  that  it  was  not  his  intention  to  contravene  any  orders  I 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign.  107 

"  may  receive  from  General  Sullivan,  I  ordered  the  whole 
"  to  be  forwarded  to  this  place ;  which  I  have  happily 
"  effected,  and  of  which  I  do  not  repent,  as  I  believe  I 
"  shall  fall  short  of  many  articles.  The  troops  are  in 
"  good  spirits,  and  everything  seems  to  promise  a  most 
'•  favorable  and  successful  campaign." 

The  Indians  continued  to  hover  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
army,  and  on  one  occasion  at  least,  nearly  effected  the 
capture  of  one  of  the  soldiers,  who  had  incautiously 
wandered  too  far  away  from  the  camp.  The  foe  was 
careful,  however,  to  keep  a  safe  distance,  and  provoked 
no  conflict  with  a  foe  of  such  superior  strength. 

The  tardiness  in  furnishing  supplies  to  Sullivan's  army 
at  Wyoming  held  him  there  until  the  last  of  July,  and 
Clinton  at  Otsego  lake  until  the  second  week  of  August. 
To  both  of  these  officers  this  delay  was  an  irksome  and 
vexatious  one.  They  saw  valuable  time  slipping  away, 
their  stores  fast  consumed,  and  ample  time  in  which  to 
take  defensive  measures  afforded  the  enemy,  yet  the}' 
were  powerless  to  move.  General  Clinton  took  no  pains 
to  conceal  his  vexation,  and  his  troops  shared  fully  his 
impatience.  At  last  orders  were  received  on  the  gth  of 
August  for  him  to  move  forward,  and  with  both  rank 
and  file  they  were  the  cause  of  great  rejoicing.  The  bat- 
teaux  were  loaded  below  the  dam,  and  parties  were  sent 
forward  to  clear  the  stream  of  drift-wood.  When  all 
was  in  readiness  the  dam  was  torn  away,  and  the  boats 
glided  swiftly  down  on  the  swollen  current.  The  dam- 
ming of  the  lake  proved  a  wise  measure,  since  it  not  only 
lessened  the  difficulties  of  navigation,  but  spread  terror 
among  the  Indians  in  the  vicinity.  The  swollen  stream 
overflowed  its  banks,  and  the  flood  destroyed  their  grow- 
ing crops.  They  could  not  account  for  the  sudden  flood 
in  a  dry  season,  and  believed  the  Great  Spirit  had  caused 
it,  to  show  that  he  was  angry  with  them.  Nor  was  the 


io8  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign. 

appearance  of  Clinton's  forces,  with  the  vast  flotilla  rid- 
ing on  the  advancing  tide,  calculated  to  reassure  them. 
They  were  seized  with  dismay,  and  many  fled  to  New- 
town,  and  afterward  to  the  Genesee  and  further  west- 
ward, as  the  advancing  host  under  Sullivan  compelled 
them  to  continue  their  flight. 

On  the  route  to  Tioga,  Clinton  passed  Unondilla,  Can- 
nagronta,  and  Onoquaga,  Indian  villages  burned  by 
Colonel  William  Butler  in  1778.  General  Sullivan  hav- 
ing been  disappointed  in  the  independent  companies  ex- 
pected to  be  furnished  by  Pennsylvania,  Lieut.  Colonel 
Albert  Pawling,  who  was  stationed  at  Warwasing,  was 
ordered  to  join  Clinton  at  Onoquaga  with  a  force  of  two 
hundred  men.  Governor  Clinton  had  designed  to  lead 
these  troops  in  person,  but  at  General  Washington's  re- 
quest, Pawling  was  given  the  command,  as  he  desired 
the  patriotic  Governor  to  remain  at  his  civil  post.  When 
General  Clinton  arrived  at  Onoquaga  he  waited  for  Paw- 
ling to  join  him,  and  sent  a  detachment  to  meet  the  latter. 
As  Pawling  failed  to  appear,  Clinton  moved  on.  T\v<> 
days  afterward  Pawling  reached  Onoquaga,  but  finding 
Clinton  gone  he  returned  with  his  troops  to  Warwasing, 
and  did  not  join  the  expedition. 

Three  miles  from  Onoquaga  was  a  small  Indian  vil- 
lage called  Onequga,  or  Shawnianghto,  which  was 
burned  by  Clinton  August  I7th.  On  the  same  day  Tus- 
carora,  or  Ingaren,  near  Great  Bend,  was  also  destroyed. 

Meanwhile  General  Sullivan  had  despatched  Poor 
with  a  strong  force  to  meet  Clinton,  who,  after  a  march 
of  about  thirty  miles,  surprised  a  large  body  of  Indians 
lying  in  ambush  at  Round  Hill,  near  the  mouth  of  Big 
Choconut  creek,  a  small  stream  emptying  into  the  Sus- 
quehanna.  They  were  here  awaiting  the  approach  of 
Clinton,  but  were  completely  routed  by  Poor's  forces. 
Near  this  place  was  the  Indian  village  of  Choconut, 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign.  109 

comprising  fifty  or  sixty  houses,  mostly  on  the  south  side 
of  the  river,  which  Poor  burned.  A  junction  was  now 
effected  with  Clinton  near  the  present  village  of  Union, 
Broome  county,  N.  Y.  (whence  the  name),  and  the  united 
forces,  proceeding  down  the  river,  destroyed  the  Indian 
village  of  Owegy  (near  Owego)  on  the  2oth  of  August. 

The  sudden  rise  of  the  Susquehanna  was  as  great  a 
surprise  to  the  men  in  Sullivan's  division  at  Tioga  as  it 
had  been  to  the  Indians  along  the  stream.  But  the  mys- 
tery was  explained,  when  Clinton  had  neared  Tioga,  by 
his  sending  forward  a  small  detachment  under  Lieutenant 
Boyd  (who  so  soon  met  a  tragic  death)  to  announce  his 
approach.  Boyd  arrived  in  camp  on  the  i;th  of  August* 
but  it  was  not  until  the  22d  that  Clinton's  division  arrived, 
owing  to  the  delay  caused  by  a  long  continued  rain. 

At  noon  on  the  22d  Clinton  came  in  sight,  and  his 
appearance  was  greeted  with  every  expression  of  de- 
light. Thirteen  rounds  were  fired  by  the  artillery,  which 
were  answered  by  two  three-pounders  which  Clinton 
had,  the  light  corps  was  drawn  up,  with  Colonel  Proc- 
tor's band  of  music  at  the  front,  and  while  the  band 
played  and  the  men  cheered,  Clinton's  division  moved 
down  past  Fort  Sullivan  to  the  camp  of  the  main  army 
below.  One  brave  soldier,  who  followed  the  fortunes  of 
the  army  from  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill  to  the  end  of 
the  war,  quaintly  writes  in  his  diary :  "  We  received 
them  with  great  joy,  and  saluted  them  with  13  cannon 
fired  and  a  tune  on  Col.  Proctor's  Band  of  Musick." 


CHAPTER  VI. 

MARCH    FROM   TIOGA — NEWTOWN   BATTLE. 

THE  whole  force,  now  nearly  four  thousand  strong, 
consisted  of  the  infantry  brigades  of  Generals  Hand, 
Clinton,  Poor  and  Maxwell,  Proctor's  artillery,  a  rifle 
corps,  and  a  large  number  of  volunteer  boatmen.  Im- 
mediate preparations  were  made  for  their  onward  march, 
but  these  occupied  several  days,  and  it  was  not  until  the 
26th  of  August  that  they  were  fully  completed.  Some 
of  the  tents  were  cut  up  and  made  into  sacks  for  the 
transportation  of  the  flour  on  horseback ;  the  packs  and 
the  fleet  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  boats  were  got  ready, 
and  on  the  26th  the  signal  gun  was  fired,  and  at  noon 
the  order  to  march  was  given.  A  force  of  two  hundred 
men  was  left  at  Fort  Sullivan,  under  the  command  of 
Colonel  Shreve,  with  the  sick  and  lame,  the  women  who 
had  come  thus  far  with  the  army,  and  such  baggage  as 
could  be  spared.  The  two  six-pounders  were  also  left 
in  the  fort. 

Such  had  been  the  long  delay  since  the  inception  of 
this  enterprise  that  the  enemy  were  by  this  time  fully 
informed  of  its  design,  and  were  not  wholly  unprepared 
to  resist  the  army's  forward  march.  The  utmost  pre- 
caution was  therefore  necessary,  in  advancing  through 
the  forest,  to  guard  against  any  sudden  attack  of  am- 
bushed foes.  The  order  of  march  decided  upon  was  for 
General  Hand's  brigade  to  take  the  front  and  advance 
in  eight  columns ;  on  the  right  General  Poor's  brigade 
with  a  flanking  party  of  light  troops ;  on  the  left  General 
Maxwell's  brigade  and  another  strong  flanking  party  ; 
General  Clinton's  brigade  in  the  rear;  Proctor's  artillery 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign.  1 1 1 

in  the  center,  flanked  on  both  sides  by  double  files  of 
pack-horses  ;  in  advance  of  all  Major  Parr  with  his  rifle 
corps,  to  whom  was  given  the  order  to  reconnoitre  all 
places  where  the  enemy  might  be  concealed  before  the 
army  came  up.  The  cattle  were  also  placed  between 
the  columns,  with  the  pack-horses,  where  they  would  be 
safe  in  case  of  an  attack.  The  progress  was  necessarily 
slow,  as  the  way  was  exceedingly  difficult,  especially  lor 
the  ammunition  wagons  and  heavy  artillery.  The  first 
day  the  army  made  five  miles  and  then  encamped  for 
the  night.  Clinton's  brigade  only  made  about  three 
miles,  and  encamped  nearly  two  miles  in  the  rear  of  the 
main  army.  On  the  2/th  the  march  was  much  impeded 
by  the  artillery  and  ammunition  wagons,  as  there  were 
a  dense,  forest  and  difficult  defiles  through  which  to  pass. 
The  men  were  required  to  cut  a  road  for  much  of  the 
way,  as  well  as  to  right  up  overturned  wagons  and  can- 
nons, and  rescue  the  pack-horses,  which  were  in  danger 
of  being  swept  away  by  the  current  when  fording  the 
river.  Clinton's  brigade  was  much  delayed  by  the  artil- 
lery, and  it  was  soon  felt  that  the  command  would  be 
much  better  off  without  this  heavy  ordnance.  On  this 
day  large  quantities  of  corn,  squashes,  beans  and  other 
growing  crops  were  destroyed.  General  Clinton's  brig- 
ade, at  the  close  of  this  day's  march,  was  far  in  the  rear, 
and  consequently  the  march  on  the  28th  was  delayed 
until  2  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  The  intervening  time 
was  spent  in  destroying  the  corn  and  other  crops  in  the 
vicinity.  The  main  body,  on  the  evening  of  the  27th, 
encamped  at  Old  Chemung,  an  abandoned  Indian  town 
on  the  left  bank  of  the  Tioga  (Chemung)  river,  three 
miles  below  the  present  village  of  Chemung.  Clinton, 
not  being  able  to  reach  this  point,  turned  back  to  a 
small  stream  just  east  of  the  Narrows  and  encamped. 
On  the  28th  two  brigades,  together  with  the  artillery, 


112  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign. 

baggage,  pack-horses  and  cattle,  forded  the  river  twice 
in  going  only  a  mile,  and  the  water  being  waist  deep, 
and  the  current  rapid,  some  of  the  baggage,  flour  and 
ammunition  was  lost.  The  march  this  day  was  only 
about  three  miles.  At  night  the  army  encamped  at 
Chemung,  where  the  growing  crops  were  destroyed. 
A  small  scouting  party  reported  that  about  four  miles 
above  Chemung  there  was  a  large  force  of  the  enemy. 
A  party  of  troops  engaged  in  burning  some  houses  was 
fired  upon  but  received  no  injury.  The  rear  of  the  bag- 
gage train  did  not  cross  the  last  ford  until  10  o'clock 
that  night,  Chemung  was  an  Indian  village  of  about 
thirty  houses,  destroyed  by  Sullivan  August  I3th;  it 
was  located  near  the  present  village  of  the  same  name. 
Up  to  this  time  the  Indians  had  offered  no  determined 
resistance  to  Sullivan's  progress ;  yet  they  had  no 
thought  of  permitting  his  destroying  host  to  invade  their 
territory  without  at  least  one  desperate  effort  to  prevent 
such  a  calamity.  As  has  already  been  stated,  the  work 
of  fortifying  the  spot  which  they  had  chosen  for  a 
general  action,  had  been  for  some  time  in  progress.  It 
is  probable  that  the  general  plan  of  the  fortification  had 
been  decided  upon,  and  perhaps  some  of  the  work  done, 
before  Sullivan  left  Tioga.  The  spot  chosen,  five  miles 
below  the  present  populous  city  of  Elmira,  was  admir- 
ably suited  to  the  purpose.  The  fortifications  were 
erected  a  mile  and  a  half  below  the  Indian  village  of 
Newtown,  where  the  river  makes  a  long  bend  and  the 
level  flat  is  nearly  two  miles  wide.*  A  sharp  rise  of 
ground,  or  "  hogback,"  extends  from  near  the  river  in 
an  easterly  direction  for  two-thirds  of  a  mile,  when  it 
ends  abruptly  just  at  the  present  wagon  road  which 

*  The  battlefield  is  in  the  town  of  Ashland,  Chemung  County,  on  the  flat 
about  two  miles  north  of  the  village  of  Wellsburg,  and  in  plain  view  from  the 
trains  and  station  of  the  Erie  Railway. 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign.  1 1 3 

crosses  the  flat  from  Wellsburg.  Perhaps  a  third  of  a 
mile  farther  east  is  Baldwin's  creek,  which  flows  in  a 
southerly  direction  and  empties  into  the  Tioga.  Along 
the  ridge  just  mentioned  the  enemy  threw  up  breast- 
works, which  were  continued  from  the  easterly  terminus 
obliquely  in  a  northeastern  direction  to  the  creek. 
These  fortifications  were  so  protected  by  the  river  on 
the  enemy's  right  that  only  their  front  and  the  left  flank 
were  exposed  to  attack.  On  the  left  the  hill  rose  quite 
abruptly  to  a  considerable  height,  greatly  protecting  it, 
while  farther  still  to  the  left  was  another  range  of  hills 
which  extended  to  the  rear  of  the  American  army.  On 
the  hillside  was  a  heavy  growth  of  pine  and  low  shrub- 
oaks.  A  large  number  of  these  were  cut  down  by  the  ene- 
my and  planted  in  front  of  their  works,  so  artfully  that 
they  had  the  appearance  of  being  still  growing,  and  quite 
effectually  concealed  the  breastworks.  The  trail,  which 
Sullivan  was  following,  after  crossing  the  brook  opposite 
the  oblique  corner  of  the  fortification,  turned  sharply 
toward  the  enemy's  left,  and  ran  along  directly  in  front 
of  the  breastworks.  Should  Sullivan  continue  on  this 
trail,  as  he  was  expected  to  do,  without  discovering  the 
position  of  the  enemy,  the  whole  flank  of  his  army,  on 
coming  in  front  of  the  works  would  be  exposed  to  the 
enemy's  fire.  On  the  hills  mentioned  were  parties  of 
the  enemy,  communicating  with  each  other  by  means 
of  a  scattered  line,  ready  to  fall  on  Sullivan's  right  flank 
and  rear,  as  soon  as  his  attention  was  engaged  at  the 
front.  At  the  same  time  a  small  party  of  the  enemy  was 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  prepared  to  move 
down  and  stampede  the  pack-horses  and  throw  the 
American  forces  into  confusion.  It  was  evidently  the 
intention  of  the  enemy  to  so  demoralize  the  Americans, 
and  cut  off  and  destroy  their  supplies,  that  the  latter 
would  be  compelled  to  retreat  to  Tioga  and  abandon  the 


1 14  History  of  Sullivan's  Campaign. 

expedition.  More  than  this  they  could  not  hope  to  do 
with  their  inferior  force,  and  their  plans  would  seem  to 
indicate  it  to  be  the  main  object  in  their  making  a  stand 
at  this  place. 

Behind  the  formidable  works  described,  the  enemy 
were  congregated  in  force.  General  Sullivan  estimated 
their  strength  at  fifteen  hundred,  inclusive  of  two  hun- 
dred British  troops  and  rangers.  While  these  figures 
are  probably  too  large,  the  statement  of  Colonel  John 
Butler  putting  his  force  at  five  hundred  and  fifty  Indians 
and  two  hundred  and  fifty  regular  British  troops  and 
rangers,  was  as  far  below  the  mark.  Careful  investiga- 
tion shows  that  the  enemy  must  have  had  at  least  eight 
hundred  Indians  and  three  hundred  rangers  and  regular 
troops.  Colonel  Butler  had  with  him  his  regiment  of 
rangers,  Sir  John  Johnson  was  there  with  the  "  Johnson 
Greens,"  McDonald  commanded  a  force  of  fourteen 
British  regulars,  and  Guy  Johnson  and  Captain  Walter 
Butler,  whose  revolting  cruelty  had  already  placed  a 
lasting  stigma  on  his  name,  were  also  present.  Brant, 
the  Mohawk  chieftain,  had  command  of  the  Indians.  On 
the  retreat  of  the  enemy  after  the  battle,  they  were  so 
closely  pressed  that  the  younger  Butler's  commission,  as 
well  as  other  papers  and  several  orderly  books,  fell  into 
the  hands  of  the  Americans.  Considering  the  im- 
portance of  the  engagement  which  followed,  the  fact 
that  so  many  of  the  prominent  British  leaders  were 
present,  and  the  probability  that  the  Indians  would 
muster  as  strong  a  force  as  possible  to  oppose  Sullivan's 
movements,  it  is  not  unreasonable  to  suppose  that  the 
enemy  were  eleven  hundred  or  twelve  hundred  strong 
behind  their  breastworks,  notwithstanding  Butler's 
assertions  to  the  contrary.* 

*  General  Sullivan  caused  a  careful  examination  of  the  fortifications  to  be 
made  after  the  battle,  with  a  view  to  determining  the  actual  strength  of  the 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign.  115 

On  the  morning  of  the  2Qth  of  August,  Sullivan  broke 
camp  at  9  o'clock,  and  after  a  march  of  about  five  miles, 
Major  James  Parr,  who  was  in  advance  with  his  rifle 
corps,  fortunately  discovered  the  enemy's  works  when 
within  eighty  rods  of  them.  Scouting  parties  the  night 
before,  had  heard  the  enemy  busy  at  work  with  axes  in 
this  quarter  and  divined  their  intentions.  Consequently 
a  more  careful  reconnoitre  was  made  on  this  day's 
march,  and  the  fact  that  numerous  small  bodies  of  In- 
dians were  seen  in  advance,  who  seemed  to  invite  pur- 
suit, strengthened  the  belief  that  the  main  body  of  the 
enemy  was  near  at  hand.  Upon  approaching  the  breast- 
works some  of  the  riflemen  remarked  that  the  trees  and 
brush  were  set  with  too  great  regularity,  and  suspected 
that  the  erfemy  were  there  in  force.  Accordingly  a 
rifleman  climbed  a  tree  when  he  could  readily  look  over 
the  breastworks  and  see  the  painted  savages  behind 
them.  Many  of  the  soldiers  at  the  time  regarded  this 
discovery  as  almost  accidental,  so  well  concealed  were 
the  enemy's  works,  and  believed  it  a  providential  inter- 
ference to  save  the  army  from  disaster. 

Immediately  on  discovering  the  position  of  the  enemy, 
General  Hand  formed  the  light  corps  in  the  forest  about 
four  hundred  yards  from  the  breastworks,  and  awaited 
the  arrival  of  Sullivan  with  the  main  body.  Meanwhile 

enemy.  The  breastworks  were  found  to  extend  fully  a  mile,  with  frequent 
bastions,  while  a  house  in  front  of  the  works  had  been  converted  into  a  fort. 
These  were  *all  fully  manned,  but  by  a  single  rank  only.  A  scattered  line 
extended  from  the  breastworks  to  the  hill  assaulted  by  General  Poor,  half  a 
mile  distant.  From  thence  another  line  extended  to  the  hill  on  the  American 
right.  From  the  extent  of  these  lines  and  the  apparent  force  at  each  point, 
General  Sullivan  assumed  that  the  enemy  must  number  fifteen  hundred, 
although  the  prisoners  taken  assured  him  that  there  were  only  eight  hundred, 
all  told.  The  number  given  in  the  text  cannot  be  far  from  the  truth.  The 
prisoners  admitted  that  all  the  warriors  of  the  Senecas  and  six  other  tribes 
were  engaged  in  the  battle.  .  If  only  half  of  them  were  so  engaged,  the 
number  of  Indians  alone  would  have  been  at  least  eight  hundred. 


u6  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign. 

skirmishers  were  employed  in  ascertaining  the  position 
and  strength  of  the  enemy,  and  a  lively  firing  was  kept 
up  with  parties  of  the  Indians,  who  sallied  forth  from 
their  works,  fired  and  retreated,  meanwhile  making  the 
forest  echo  with  their  war-whoop,  as  if  to  create  an  ex- 
aggerated idea  of  their  numbers.  While  the  riflemen 
were  thus  engaged,  the  musketry  became  impatient  lest 
the  former  should  disperse  the  enemy  and  carry  off  all 
the  honors.  •  It  was  said  that  it  was  with  difficulty 
the  militia  could  be  restrained  by  the  officers  until  Sul- 
livan's arrival.  When  General  Sullivan  came  up  he 
ordered  the  artillery  to  form  in  front  of  the  works,  and 
directed  Poor  to  wheel  off  to  the  right  with  his  brigade 
and  gain  the  hill,  which  Sullivan  correctly  supposed  was 
occupied  by  the  savages.  The  artillery  was  to  make  a 
vigorous  attack  in  front  while  Poor  was  thus  turning  the 
enemy's  left.  Poor  promptly  proceeded  to  execute 
these  orders.  He  was  supported  by  a  portion  of  the 
riflemen,  the  right  flanking  divisions,  and  General  Clin- 
ton's brigade.  General  Maxwell's  brigade  formed  a 
reserve  corps,  and  General  Hand's  brigade  and  the  left 
flank  covered  the  artillery,  ready  to  pursue  the  enemy 
when  they  began  to  retreat.  General  Poor's  brigade 
marched  in  columns,  but  being  compelled  to  march 
through  a  swamp  thickly  covered  with  bushes,  great 
difficulty  was  experienced  in  moving  forward. 

General  Sullivan  had  supposed  that  Poor  could  reach 
the  foot  of  the  hill  and  begin  the  attack  in  that  quarter 
in  about  an  hour.  Accordingly  when  an  hour  had 
elapsed  after  Poor's  departure,  Sullivan  ordered  the  artil- 
lery to  open  fire,  but  it  was  some  time  later  that  Poor 
crossed  the  creek,  and  began  the  ascent  of  the  hill. 
Clinton,  meanwhile,  had  moved  farther  still  to  the  right 
and  crossed  the  creek  a  little  higher  up.  While  Poor's 
troops  were  forming,  his  riflemen  kept  up  a  scattering 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign.  1 1 7 

fire.  The  men  then  advanced  with  fixed  bayonets  but 
without  firing  a  shot,  although  the  enemy  maintained  a 
steady  fire  on  them  all  the  way  up  the  hill.  Colonel 
Reed's  regiment,  on  the  left  of  the  brigade,  sustained  the 
brunt  of  the  attack,  and  its  progress  was  thus  delayed. 
When  it  was  supposed  that  this  regiment  had  gained  the 
enemy's  left,  with  the  rest  of  the  troops,  a  heavy  fire  was 
opened  upon  the  enemy,  which  they  were  not  able  to 
withstand,  and  they  slowly  retreated.  Reed's  regiment, 
however,  had  been  the  special  object  of  attack  by  the 
foe,  and  Colonel  Dearborn,  whose  regiment  was  next  to 
his,  determined  to  go  to  his  assistance.  General  Poor 
was  too  far  away  to  give  the  necessary  order,  and  Dear- 
born acted  on  his  own  responsibility.  His  assistance 
was  timely,  however,  for  he  found  Reed  nearly  surround- 
ed by  the  enemy,  and  the  gallant  Colonel  debating  the 
question  whether  he  should  retreat,  or  charge  upon  a 
force  numbering  double  his  own,  which  had  formed  in 
a  semi-circle  about  him.  With  his  augmented  forces  a 
heavy  fire  was  opened  on  the  enemy,  followed  by  a  fierce 
charge,  which  caused  them  to  retreat  in  great  haste. 

As  Poor  ascended  the  hill,  the  savages  concentrated  as 
much  of  their  strength  on  this  point  as  possible,  for  the 
leaders  knew  it  was  the  vital  point,  and  if  lost  defeat 
would  be  their  fate.  The  fight  became  hotter  with  every 
step  made  in  advance,*  and  the  wild  war-whoop  of  the 
savages,  the  rapid  discharge  of  the  musketry,  and  the 
roar  of  the  artillery,  awakened  with  an  awful  din  the 
usual  quiet  of  the  primeval  forest.  The  Indians  and  their 
Tory  allies  disputed  bravely  every  inch  of  the  ground, 
but  they  were  overpowered  by  superior  numbers,  and 

*  A  legend  connected  with  this  fight  is  to  the  effect  that  when  the  assault- 
ing column  halted  for  a  moment,  there  hovered  over  the  men,  in  the  smoke  of 
the  conflict,  the  vision  of  a  mother  closely  clasping  her  babe  and  shielding  it 
from  an  upraised  tomahawk.  The  sight  inspired  the  men,  who  again  dashed 
forward  with  such  impetuosity  as  to  immediately  disperse  the  enemy. 


Ii8  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign. 

were  driven  back  step  by  step.  Every  tree,  rock  or 
other  object  that  could  afford  shelter  or  concealment, 
shielded  its  man,  and  a  rapid  fire  was  kept  up,  but  with 
little  effect  on  Poor's  forces,  who  continued  to  drive  them 
back.  The  ground  was  contested  at  the  point  of  the 
bayonet,  a  rare  occurrence  "  even  with  militiamen,  and 
still  more  rare  among-  the  undisciplined  warriors  of  the 
woods."  As  the  Indians  were  forced  to  yield  they 
darted  from  one  tree  to  another  "  with  the  agility  of  the 
panther,"  and  from  each  new  shelter  they  were  driven 
only  by  the  bayonet.  Brant  was  the  leading  spirit  and 
was  incessant  in  his  efforts  to  encourage  his  warriors. 

Meanwhile  the  artillery  kept  up  a  hot  fire  in  front,  but 
it  was  borne  with  great  spirit  by  the  foe.  It  is  said  that 
Butler  complained  bitterly  of  the  conduct  of  some  of  the 
Indians,  who  became  badly  frightened  and  panic-strick 
en  in  the  early  part  of  the  fight  by  the  bursting  of  some 
shells  which,  being  thrown  beyond  them,  they  supposed 
came  from  a  force  of  the  enemy  in  their  rear,  and  that 
they  were  about  to  be  surrounded.  The  Indians,  for  the 
most  part,  however,  bore  the  heavy  cannonading  with 
unusual  fortitude  and  bravery.  But  victory  was  not  for 
them.  In  spite  of  their  determined  opposition,  Poor  suc- 
ceeded in  gaining  the  flank  of  the  enemy,  and  the  fortunes 
of  the  day  were  decided.  The  Indians,  perceiving  that 
they  were  in  danger  of  being  surrounded,  raised  the 
peculiar  yell  which  was  the  signal  for  a  retreat,  and 
abandoning  their  position,  they  precipitately  fled  down 
the  narrow  valley,  through  the  Indian  village  of  New- 
town.  In  their  haste  they  left  not  only  many  of  their 
packs  and  arms,  but  also  quite  a  number  of  their  dead. 
This  circumstance  serves  to  show  their  haste  and  dis- 
order in  retreating,  as  they  were  always  careful  to  pre- 
vent the  bodies  of  those  slain  in  battle  from  falling  into 
the  hands  of  the  enemy. 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign.  119 

The  conflict  lasted  about  six  hours,  from  first  to  last, 
and  was  contested  bravely  on  the  part  of  the  Indians  and 
their  white  allies,  and  with  equal  spirit  by  the  American 
forces.  The  Indians  were  fighting  now,  not  for  the  favor 
and  bounty  of  the  king,  but  for  the  preservation  of  their 
homes  and  firesides,  their  wives  and  children,  and  all 
they  held  most  dear.  Were  they  to  fail  in  this  struggle, 
they  saw  only  devastation  and  ruin,  sorrow  and  distress 
in  store  for  them,  and  hence  their  desperation.  Colonel 
Butler  stated  in  his  official  report  that  the  Indians  select- 
ed this  spot  and  persisted  in  making  a  stand  here,  in 
spite  of  the  protestations  of  himself  and  Brant. 

The  fleeing  enemy  was  pursued  about  two  miles,  and 
their  rout  rendered  complete.  In  this  pursuit  the  scalps 
of  eight  Indians  were  taken,  and  two  prisoners,  a  Tory 
and  a  negro.  Evidence  was  discovered  of  their  having 
carried  off  a  number  of  their  killed  and  wounded,  as 
their  trail  was  marked  by  blood,  and  two  canoes  were 
found  covered  with  blood.  The  bodies  of  fourteen*  In- 
dians were  also  found  partially  concealed  by  leaves. 
On  the  field  of  battle  they  left  the  dead  bodies  of  eleven 
of  their  warriors.  The  exact  loss  of  the  enemy  could 
not  be  ascertained,  but  it  must  have  been  considerable. 
After  Sullivan  reached  Catharinestown  an  old  Cayuga 
squaw  was  discovered  in  the  woods,  who  informed  him 
"  that  on  the  night  after  the  battle  of  Newtown,  the  ene- 
my having  fled  the  whole  time,  arrived  there  in  great 
confusion  early  the  next  day  ;  that  she  heard  the  warri- 
ors tell  their  women  that  they  were  conquered  and  must 
fly  ;  that  they  had  a  great  many  killed  and  vast  numbers 
wounded.  She  likewise  heard  the  lamentations  of  many 
at  the  loss  of  their  connexions."  In  addition  she  assured 
Sullivan  "  that  some  other  warriors  had  met  Butler  at 
that  place,  and  desired  him  to  return  and  fight  again. 

*  One  journal  says  nineteen. 


120  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign. 

But  to  this  request  they  could  obtain  no  satisfactory 
answer ;  for  as  they  observed,  '  Butler's  mouth  was 
closed.'  The  warriors,  who  were  in  the  action,  were 
equally  averse  to  the  proposal."* 

The  loss  of  the  Americans,  considering  the  length  of 
the  engagement,  and  the  desperation  with  which  it  was 
fought,  was  quite  small.  The  greatest  loss  was  of  course 
in  Poor's  brigade,  which  was  in  the  thickest  of  the  fight. 
The  wounded  in  this  brigade  were  Major  Benjamin  Tit- 
comb,  of  the  2d  New  Hampshire  regiment,  Captain 
Elijah  Clayes,  of  the  same  regiment,  Lieutenant  Nathan- 
iel McCauley,  of  the  first  New  Hampshire,  (who  died 
the  same  night  of  his  wounds),  and  twenty-nine  privates  ; 
the  killed  were  three  privates.  The  loss  in  the  other 
brigades  was  four  wounded.f 

The  battle  of  Newtown  proved  the  decisive  engage- 
ment of  the  campaign,  and  made  the  further  progress  of 
the  army  comparatively  an  easy  march.  Had  it  resulted 
in  defeat  to  our  arms,  it  is  difficult  to  measure  the  degree 
of  misfortune  that  would  have  followed  to  the  cause  of 
the  Colonies.  Unless  such  a  disaster  had  been  promptly 
retrieved  by  Sullivan,  the  enemy  would  probably  have 
followed  up  its  success  until  the  Colonial  army  had  been 
driven  back  to  its  starting  point,  and  elated  by  victory 
as  well  as  inspired  by  a  desire  .for  revenge,  the  savage 
foe  would  have  wreaked  terrible  vengeance  on  the  un- 
protected frontiers.  It  might  have  had  more  serious 
consequences.  The  utter  defeat  of  the  chief  military 
movement  of  that  year  might  have  so  disheartened  the 

*  Colonel  Butler,  of  the  British  forces,  only  acknowledged  the  loss  of  "  five 
rangers  killed  or  taken  ;  five  Indians  killed  and  nine  wounded."  This  state- 
ment, however,  was  wide  of  the  truth. 

f  Marshall  gives  the  total  loss  as  thirty  ;  Stone  as  five  or  six  killed  and  be- 
tween forty  and  fifty  wounded  ;  while  a  third  writer  says  the  total  loss  could 
not  have  been  less  than  seventy.  The  numbers  in  the  text  are  based  on  relia- 
ble data,  and  are  correct. 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign.  12 1 

Colonies,  at  a  period  when  disaster  was  doubly  danger- 
ous, that  they  would  have  given  the  further  prosecution 
of  the  war  a  feeble  support  or  abandoned  it  altogether  ; 
while  the  British  government,  inspired  by  such  success, 
would  have  put  new  vigor  into  its  measures  for  the  sup- 
pression of  the  revolution.  Without  weighing,  there 
fore,  the  influence  which  Sullivan's  campaign  subse- 
quently had  in  directing  the  march  of  civilization  toward 
the  rich  country  of  Western  New  York,  the  battle  of 
Newtown  may  justly  be  considered  one  of  the  most  im- 
portant engagements  of  the  Revolutionary  War,  and  as 
worthy  of  commemoration  as  Bunker  Hill  or  Monmouth, 
Brandywine  or  Princeton. 

The  immediate  effect  of  the  victory  at  Newtown  was  / 
to  completely  dishearten  the  Indians  and  fill  them  with  / 
despair.  They  appreciated  now  the  power  and  resources  / 
of  the  Colonies  as  they  had  never  done  before,  and  see- 
ing this  mighty  host  advancing  against  them,  they  feltV 
their  utter  inability  to  arrest  its  march  or  stay  its  deso- 
lating hand.  Already  they  saw  what  was  in  store  for 
them,  for  even  thus  early  many  of  their  houses  had  been 
ruthlessly  burned,  their  carefully  cultivated  fields  and 
growing  crops  destroyed,  and  their  wives  and  children 
compelled  to  flee  through  a  trackless  forest  to  a  brief 
security  on  the  banks  of  the  Genesee,  whence  they  might 
soon  be  compelled  to  flee  again.  Yet  such  was  the  ter- 
ror and  despair  which  the  success  of  the  Americans  had 
inspired  in  the  savages  that  their  leaders  were  unable  to 
persuade  them  to  again  make  a  stand  against  the  ad- 
vancing army.  At  first  they  retreated  in  great  disorder, 
fleeing  precipitately  through  the  dense  forest  even  in 
the  dead  of  night,  and  throwing  away  golden  opportu- 
nities for  attacking  Sullivan  under  circumstances  that 
would  have  caused  him  great  loss,  even  if  the  enemy 
could  not  have  gained  any  permanent  advantage.  They 


122  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign. 

soon  recovered  from  this  utter  demoralization,  but  the 
lesson  of  Newtown  was  not  to  be  soon  forgotten,  and 
though  improving  every  opportunity  to  hinder  the  march 
of  the  army  by  stealthy  blows,  they  sullenly  yet  steadily 
retreated  before  it.  Thenceforth  the  army  met  with  no 
.opposition,  though  often  the  enemy  was  just  before  it. 
The  villages  were  hastily  deserted  as  Sullivan  ap- 
proached, and  the  women  and  children  fled  to  the  west- 
ern strongholds,  often  in  such  haste  that  they  left  behind 
them  not  only  their  trinkets  and  cooking  utensils*  but 
occasionally  the  aged  members  of  their  families. 

A  notable  character  among  the  Indians,  one  whose 
name  is  destined  long  to  outlive  the  last  remnant  of  the 
Iroquois,  appeared  on  the  scene  of  action  soon  after  the 
battle  at  Newtown.  This  was  Red  Jacket,  afterward 
renowned  as  an  orator  and  statesman.  Between  Red 
Jacket  and  Brant  there  existed  in  after  years  an  irrecon- 
cilable animosity.  The  cause,  Stone  tells  us,  was  Brant's 
jealousy  of  Red  Jacket's  growing  reputation.  Brant  de- 
nied this,  but  while  acknowledging  the  former's  great 
intellectual  powers,  maintained  that  "  he  was  not  only 
destitute  of  principle,  but  an  arrant  coward."  In  sup- 
port of  this  assertion  Brant  stated  that,  although  Red 
Jacket  at  first  gave  the  measure  for  resisting  the  ap- 
proach of  Sullivan  his  fullest  approval,  he  lost  heart 
after  the  battle  at  Newtown,  and  held  frequent  councils 
with  the  younger  warriors  and  some  of  the  more  timid 
sachems,  whom  he  could  hope  to  influence,  and  en- 
deavored to  persuade  them  to  sue  for  peace,  even  if 
obtainable  only  on  the  most  ignominious  and  degrading 
terms.  This  intrigue  greatly  troubled  and  embarrassed 
Brant,  and  he  attributed  to  Red  Jacket  much  of  the 
disgrace  and  misfortune  of  the  Indians.  The  latter 
carried  his  plan  so  far  as  to  induce  the  discontented 
warriors  to  send  a  runner  privately  into  Sullivan's  camp, 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign.  123 

without  the  knowledge  of  the  principal  chiefs,  advising 
him  of  the  dissensions  and  dissatisfaction  prevailing,  and 
inviting  him  to  send  a  flag  of  truce  and  proposals  "  cal- 
culated to  increase  their  divisions  and  produce  a  dishon- 
orable peace."  Brant,  learning  of  this,  but  fearing  the 
consequences  if  the  proceedings  were  exposed  and  an 
attempt  made  to  forcibly  suppress  them,  despatched  two 
trusty  warriors  to  waylay  and  kill  the  bearer  of  the  flag 
of  truce  while  on  his  way  from  the  American  camp,  and 
to  return  secretly  with  his  despatches.  Stone  states  that 
this  was  accomplished,  and  all  further  attempts  at  nego- 
tiation thereby  prevented.*  While  some  doubt  may 
reasonably  be  entertained  of  the  correctness  of  the  last 
statement,  it  is  certain  that  many  of  the  warriors  were 
dissatisfied,  and  probably  Red  Jacket's  eloquence  had 
drawn  around  him  quite  a  following  of  those  who  were 
ready  to  accede  even  to  humiliating  terms  to  save  their 
homes  and  hunting  grounds  from  hostile  visitation. 

After  the  battle  of  Newtown,  the  army  encamped  at 
sunset  on  the  battlefield.  Here  the  soldiers  found  a 
large  number  of  new  blankets  and  trinkets  whiqh  the 
enemy  had  left  in  their  precipitate  retreat.  The  army 
remained  encamped  during  the  whole  of  the  3Oth  of 
August,  while  large  detachments  destroyed  the  crops 
and  houses  of  the  Indians  in  the  vicinity.  Newtown,  on 
the  left  bank  of  the  Tioga,  three  and  one-half  miles 
below  the  present  city  of  Elmira,  and  consisting  of 
about  twenty  houses,  was  occupied  by  the  riflemen  on 
the  night  of  the  29th,  and  destroyed  on  the  3Oth.  A 
village  comprising  about  thirty  new  houses,  which  ap- 

*  No  mention  of  a  flag  of  truce  seems  to  have  been  made  by  Sullivan,  and 
it  is  probable  that  the  emissaries  sent  by  Red  Jacket  never  reached  the  Ameri- 
can camp.  They,  and  not  a  soldier  from  the  American  army,  must  have  been 
the  victims  of  Brant's  decisive  measures.  General  Washington  had  already 
peremptorily  commanded  Sullivan  that  he  should  not  even  listen  to  any 
overtures  for  peace  from  the  Indians  until  he  had  "  very  thoroughly  completed 
the  destruction  of  their  settlements." 


124  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign. 

parently  had  never  been  occupied,  the  site  of  which  was 
on  both  sides  of  Baldwin's  creek,  east  of  the  ridge,  was 
destroyed  by  General  Poor  on  the  29th,  while  making 
his  flank  movement.  Another  small  town  is  mentioned 
as  having  been  near  the  mouth  of  Baldwin's  creek,  the 
timber  of  which  the  enemy  had  used  to  construct  the 
fortifications.  Of  the  corn,  upward  of  six  thousand 
bushels  were  destroyed,  and  the  work  of  destruction 
was  made  complete.  The  enemy,  it  may  be  remarked, 
had  been  living  on  this  corn  for  eight  days,  their  other 
supplies  having  been  exhausted.  On  the  evening  of  the 
3Oth  General  Sullivan  sent  back  to  Tioga  two  three- 
pounders,  the  two  largest  howitzers,  all  the  ammunition 
wagons,  and  the  sick  and  wounded,  in  the  boats  which 
had  come  up  the  river  with  such  stores  as  the  pack- 
horses  had  been  unable  to  carry.  The  artillery  retained 
consisted  of  four  brass  three-pounders  and  one  small 
howitzer  or  cohorn.  All  the  ammunition,  provisions 
and  camp  equipage  were  loaded  on  pack-horses,  so  that 
the  army  was  less  encumbered  and  better  able  to  make 
its  way  through  the  trackless  forest. 

The  experience  of  the  army,  even  during  the  short 
time  it  had  been  beyond  the  bounds  of  civilization,  had 
convinced  General  Sullivan  that  the  work  he  was  ex- 
pected to  accomplish  would  take  a  much  greater  length 
of  time  than  was  at  first  supposed.  On  making  a  careful 
calculation  he  was  satisfied  that  the  supply  of  provisions 
he  had  on  hand  would  be  inadequate  to  meet  the  wants 
of  the  army.  He  had  no  reserve  supply  to  draw  upon, 
however,  and  no  additional  pack-horses  with  which  to 
transport  it,  had  there  been  such  a  reserve.  Under  these 
circumstances  he  had  but  one  alternative,  and  that  was 
to  prevail  upon  the  soldiers,  if  possible,  to  content  them- 
selves with  half  the  daily  allowance.  This-  would  give 
the  men  each  one-half  pound  of  flour  and  the  same 
quantity  of  beef  per  diem,  provided  there  was  no  further 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign,  125 

loss  of  the  stores.  At  this  time  there  were,  according 
to  the  estimates  of  the  commanding  officer,  twenty-two 
pounds  of  flour  and  sixteen  pounds  of  beef  per  man ; 
"the  former  liable  to  many  deductions  by  rains,  crossing 
rivers  and  defiles ;  the  latter  much  more  so  from  the  al- 
most unavoidable  loss  of  cattle  when  suffered  to  range 
the  woods  at  night  for  their  support."  Driven  to  it  by 
this  necessity,  General  Sullivan  drew  up  an  address  to 
the  army,  setting  forth  the  condition  of  the  stores  and 
the  necessity  of  issuing  short  rations  if  the  work  of  the 
expedition  was  to  be  accomplished.  At  the  same  time, 
improving  the  opportunity  thus  presented;  he  severely 
criticised  the  authorities  for  not  furnishing  sufficient 
supplies  of  provisions  and  pack-horses.  The  address 
being  read  to  the  soldiers,  it  was  answered  with  three 
cheers  by  the  whole  army.  "Not  one  dissenting  voice," 
says  Sullivan,  "  was  heard  from  either  officer  or  soldier. 
*  *  *  I  was,  however,  encouraged  in  the  belief  that 
I  should  be  enabled  to  effect  the  destruction  and  total 
ruin  of  the  Indian  territories  by  this  truly  noble  and 
virtuous  resolution  of  the  army,  for  which  I  know  not 
whether  the  public  stands  more  indebted  to  the  persua- 
sive arguments  which  the  officers  began  to  use,  or  the 
virtuous  disposition  of  the  soldiers,  whose  prudent  and 
cheerful  compliance  with  the  requisition  anticipated  all 
their  wishes  and  rendered  persuasion  unnecessary."  The 
men  suffered  nothing,  however,  by  this  action,  since  the 
country  through  which  they  passed  was  abundantly  sup- 
plied with  fruits  and  vegetables,  and  they  were  able,  to 
a  certain  degree,  to  live  on  the  country.  Hominy,  made 
from  corn  found  on  the  route,  was  a  favorite  article  of 
food,  an  old  camp  kettle  having  its  bottom  punctured 
full  of  holes  with  a  bayonet  serving  as  a  grater.  Its  use 
had  to  be  discontinued  for  a  time,  on  account  of  its  effect 
on  the  health  of  the  men,  but  the  Indian  orchards  and 
gardens  supplied  substitutes  both  excellent  and  plentiful. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

MARCH   FROM    NEWTOWN   TO   KANADESAGA. 

ON  THE  morning  of  August  3ist,  the  army  broke  camp 
about  8  o'clock,  and  again  moved  forward  up  the 
Chemung  river,  the  right  flank  on  the  hills,  and  the  left 
following  closely  the  banks  of  the  stream.  For  the 
former  the  way  was  mountainous  and  difficult,  until  the 
forks  of  Newtown  were  reached,  when  a  low  bottom  was 
entered  upon.  A  small  Indian  village  called  Middletown, 
about  half  way  between  Newtown  and  Kanawlohalla 
was  destroyed.  Near  the  junction  of  a  small  stream  with 
the  Tioga,  or  Chemung,  a  very  pretty  little  Indian  village 
was  found,  consisting  of  about  eight  houses,  the  name  of 
which  was  Kanawlohalla.  It  was  located  on  the  present 
site  of  Elmira,  and  five  miles  from  the  place  where  the 
battle  was  fought.  It  had  the  appearance  of  having 
been  only  recently  deserted,  and  several  boats  were  seen 
moving  off  up  the  river  by  the  advance  guard  of  the 
army.  The  soldiers  here  discovered  a  number  of  feather 
beds  in  the  houses,  and  several  chests  were  found  buried 
in  the  fields  containing  household  utensils.  The  growing 
crops  in  the  vicinity  were  destroyed.  From  this  point 
Colonel  Dayton  with  his  command,  the  3d  New  Jersey 
regiment,  and  a  company  of  riflemen  from  Colonel  But- 
ler's regiment,  was  sent  up  the  Chemung  to  destroy 
several  large  fields  of  corn  in  that  quarter.  He  went 
about  seven  miles,  and  then  returning  a  mile,  encamped 
for  the  night  near  Big  Flats.  The  next  day  he  took  a 
northwesterly  course  and  overtook  the  main  army  at  the 
place  of  encampment  near  Horseheads.  Colonel  Dayton 
burned  a  small  town  on  the  north  side  of  the  Chemung 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign.  127 

near  Big  Flats,  called  Runonvea,  on  the  3ist  of  August. 

After  a  halt  of  about  an  hour  at  Kanawlohalla,  the 
march  was  resumed,  the  route  bearing  off  to  the  right 
from  the  Chemung,  and  after  proceeding  about  five 
miles,  a  halt  was  ordered,  and  the  army  went  into  camp 
for  the 'night,  being  now  within  thirteen  and  one-half 
miles  of  Catherinestown.  The  army  was  formed  into  a 
hollow  square,  with  the  horses  and  cattle  occupying  the 
center,  thus  keeping  them  safe  from  attack.  The  site  of 
this  camp  was  near  Horseheads,  Chemung  county.  Here 
Sullivan  was  compelled  to  order  the  shooting  of  fifty  of 
his  horses,  which  were  unable  to  proceed  further.  After- 
ward the  Indians  arranged  the  heads  of  these  animals 
beside  the  trail,  and  the  place  thus  acquired  its  name  of 
Horseheads. 

The  next  day,  September  ist,  the  army  broke  camp  at 
9  o'clock,  after  having  been  joined  by  Colonel  Dayton 
and  the  detachment  under  his  command,  which  had  been 
sent  up  the  Chemung,  and  proceeded  about  three  miles 
without  encountering  any  difficulties  to  impede  their 
march.  A  narrow  defile  between  a  high  hill  and  a  deep 
marsh,  was  then  passed,  and  a  mile  further  on  they  found 
their  progress  impeded  by  a  swamp  nine  miles  long  and 
almost  impassable. 

The  course  of  the  Indians  and  Tories  in  retreating  so 
far  after  the  battle  of  Newtown,  from  a  military  point  of 
view  was  a  grave  error.  On  the  route  from  Newtown 
to  this  point  Sullivan  had  been  compelled  to  pass  through 
several  narrow  and  dangerous  defiles,  where  a  mere 
handful  of  the  enemy  might  have  held  him  at  bay  and 
given  him  considerable  annoyance.  The  streams  along 
which  he  had  passed,  with  their  circuitous  windings,  had 
also  increased  his  difficulties  and  dangers — one  of  them, 
the  inlet  of  Seneca  lake,  which  was  quite  deep  and  wide, 
having  to  be  forded  seven  or  eight  times,  with  the  men 


128  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign. 

often  waist  deep.  A  fearless  and  determined  foe,  ac- 
quainted, as  the  Indians  must  have  been,  with  the  topog- 
raphy of  the  country,  would  have  improved  the 
opportunity  thus  afforded  to  harass  and  inflict  loss  upon 
the  advancing  army.  That  the  Indians  did  not  avail 
themselves  of  this  opportunity  to  retaliate  upon  their 
persecutors  only  serves  to  show  the  utter  demoralization 
caused  by  their  defeat  at  Newtown. 


SULLIVAN'S  ROUTE,  AS  TRACED  ON  A  SOLDIER'S  POWDER  HORN.* 

It  was  the  desire  of  General  Sullivan  to  press  forward 
as  rapidly  as  possible,  and  hence  he  announced  his  inten- 
tion of  passing  through  the  swamp  and  reaching 
Catherinestown  that  night.  To  this  his  scouts  offered 
the  most  strenuous  opposition,  presenting  to  him  in 
forcible  language  the  risk  he  ran.  Sullivan  was  deter- 
mined to  make  the  effort,  however,  and  throwing  out 
strong  flanking  parties,  and  taking  every  other  precau- 
tion possible  to  guard  against  surprise,  he  gave  his  orders 
for  the  forward  march.  The  right  flank  marched  over 
the  hills  the  entire  distance,  but  the  rest  of  the  army  went 
through  the  swamp  itself,  which  presented  almost  insur- 

*  This  drawing  was  made  by  Lossing,  from  a  powder  horn  which  belonged 
to  a  soldier  in  Sullivan's  army.  Several  horns  were  thus  decorated  by  the 
soldiers,  while  the  army  was  encamped  at  Conesus  Lake. 


History  of  Sullivan's  Campaign.  129 

mountable  obstacles  to  the  passage  of  the  troops. 
Through  the  center  ran  Catharine's  creek,  which,  flow- 
ing northward  emptied  itself  into  Seneca  Lake.  Upon 
either  side  were  high  hills,  rising  often  to  a  height  of  400 
to  600  feet  above  the  bed  of  the  stream  with  steep  de- 
clivities frequently  broken  by  deep  ravines  and  gullies. 
The  swamp  itself,  as  has  been  stated,  was  nine  miles 
long,  and  for  the  entire  distance  it  was  a  wet,  miry, 
treacherous  morass,  affording  scarcely  safe  footing  for 
the  men,  to  say  nothing  of  a  roadway  for  the  artillery 
and  pack-horses.  Some  attempt  was  made  to  construct 
a  roadway  through  the  swamp,  but  it  proved  unsuc- 
cessful. 

Such  was  the  region  through  which  Sullivan  intended 
to  push  his  way,  and  well  might  any  less  resolute  and 
courageous  general  have  shrunk  from  its  dangers. 
Urging  his  men  forward  he  penetrated  the  deepest  part 
of  the  swamp,  when  night,  which  came  on  exceedingly 
dark,  overtook  him.  The  way  was  full  of  dangers  ;  the 
men  and  pack-horses  were  compelled  to  ford  the  deep 
and  swift  running  stream  at  least  thirty  times  ;  groping 
along  through  the  darkness,  they  frequently  lost  their 
way,  or  sank  helplessly  in  the  mire  ;  and  wearied,  dis- 
heartened, scattered,  in  the  impenetrable  gloom,  many  a 
brave  soldier  laid  down  and  refused  to  go  further. 

Their  situation  afforded  the  golden  opportunity  to  the 
enemy.  "  At  that  time,"  says  Gordon,  "  such  was  the 
steepness  of  the  hills,  the  narrowness  and  difficulty  of 
the  defile,  that  twenty  or  thirty  of  the  Indians  might 
have  thrown  his  troops  into  the  utmost  confusion."  But 
the  Indians,  who  were  only  a  few  miles  away,  roasting 
corn  by  their  own  camp  fires,  were  wholly  unawrare 
of  the  army's  approach ;  the  route  through  the  swamp 
was  so  difficult,  and  the  night  had  come  on  so  dark, 
that  they  did  not  even  dream  of  Sullivan's  pushing  on 


130  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign. 

that  night.  While  it  was  light  all  his  movements  had 
been  closely  watched  by  Indian  scouts,  but  as  the  shades 
of  evening  approached  they  had  withdrawn,  under  the 
belief  that  his  onward  progress  would  be  stayed  until 
the  next  day.  The  advance  guard  reached  Catharines- 
town  shortly  after  dark,  where  they  found  the  fires  still 
burning,  and  every  appearance  of  the  enemy's  precipi- 
tate flight  on  their  approach.  The  main  army  was  still 
two  or  three  miles  from  the  town,  and  only  reached  it 
about  midnight,  through  almost  superhuman  exertions. 
General  Clinton,  in  fact,  who  was  much  fatigued  before 
he  entered  the  swamp,  and  was,  moreover,  assured  that 
he  would  run  great  risk  of  losing  his  horses  and  cattle  if 
he  attempted  its  passage,  did  give  it  up  finally,  and  his 
brigade,  together  with  most  of  the  pack-horses  and  cat- 
tle, spent  the  night  in  the  depths  of  the  swamp,  with 
neither  pack,  baggage,  nor  any  of  the  conveniences  of 
the  camp.  The  brigades  which  reached  Catherinestown 
were  obliged,  just  before  reaching  the  town,  to  pass 
through  a  narrow  and  dangerous  defile  "  so  formed  by 
nature  that  had  it  been  possessed  by  the  five  and  twenty 
Indians  who  were  in  the  town  roasting  corn,  they  might 
have  shot  down,  while  ammunititon  lasted,  what  Ameri- 
cans they  pleased,  when  within  reach  of  their  guns  and 
sight  of  their  eyes,  without  risking  their  own  persons." 
The  soldiers  were  greatly  fatigued  on  reaching  the  In- 
dian village,  and  were  obliged  to  halt  all  the  next  day 
to  recruit. 

This  forced  march,  through  a  region  so  lull  of  diffi- 
culties and  perils,  was  characteristic  of  Sullivan,  whose 
courage  and  intrepidity,  impetuous  zeal  and  restless 
nature,  so  well  known  in  the  army,  admirably  fitted  him 
for  this  command.  When  the  perils  were  over,  however, 
and  his  anxiety  had  passed  away,  Sullivan  felt  great 
relief,  and  looking  back  with  a  shudder  at  the  dangers 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign.  131 

encountered,  he  declared  emphatically  that  he  would 
not  make  another  such  march,  even  for  the  honors  of  a 
command. 

On  the  2d  of  September  Clinton's  brigade  passed  the 
swamp,  and  joined  the  main  army  at  Catharinestown 
about  3  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  This  town,  sometime? 
called  French  Catharine's  Town,  and  by  the  Indians 
Gasheoquago,  or  Sheoquaga,  was  situated  on  both  sides 
ot  the  inlet,  nearly  three  miles  from  Seneca  lake.  The 
village  of  Havana  now  marks  the  site  of  this  once 
famous  Indian  town.  It  derived  it  name  from  Catha- 
rine Montour,  the  queen  of  the  Senecas.  She  was  the 
reputed  daughter  of  Count  Frontenac,  one  of  the  early 
French  governors  of  Canada.  Her  childhood  days  were 
passed  amid  the  luxuries  and  refinements  of  the  best 
society,  but  at  the  age  of  ten  years  she  was  made  a  pris- 
oner by  the  Senecas,  in  one  of  their  expeditions  against 
the  French,  and  adopted  into  their  tribe.  Her  grace 
and  beauty,  coupled  with  a  proud  spirit  and  strong 
mind,  captivated  the  haughty  Senecas,  and  gave  her 
great  influence  in  the  nation.  She  became  the  wife, 
when  she  reached  womanhood,  of  one  of  the  most 
renowned  and  distinguished  Seneca  chiefs.  Accom- 
panying him  to  Philadelphia  on  several  occasions,  her 
extraordinary  beauty  and  easy,  polished  manner  attract- 
ed great  attention,  and  opened  to  her  the  most  refined 
and  luxurious  homes.  She  had  a  castle  on  "  Queen 
Esther's  Flats,"  near  Tioga  Point,  w-hich  was  destroyed 
after  the  Wyoming  massacre  by  Colonel  Hartley's  expe- 
dition. Catharinestown,  however,  was  her  more  per- 
manent home.  Her  husband  was  early  killed  in  battle 
with  some  of  the  southern  tribes,  but  two  of  her  sons 
participated  in  the  border  warfare  of  the  Revolution. 
Historians  have  differed  widely  as  to  the  character  of 
Catharine  Montour.  The  earlier  writers  ascribed  to  her 


132  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign. 

a  fierceness,  barbarity  and  cruelty  which  it  is  hard  to 
reconcile  with  her  known  refinement  and  grace.  It  is 
said  that  she  often  participated  in  the  fierce  border  con- 
tests, and  Campbell  says  that  at  the  Wyoming  massacre 
"she  followed  in  the  train  of  the  victorious  army,  ran- 
sacking the  heaps  of  the  slain,  and  with  her  arms  covered 
with  gore,  barbarously  murdering  the  wounded,  who  in 
vain  supplicated  for  their  lives."  Stone,  however,  an 
excellent  authority,  utterly  discredits  this  statement.  On 
the  approach  of  Sullivan's  force,  "Queen  Catharine"  fled 
to  Niagara,  where  she  was  treated  with  marked  attention 
by  the  British  officers.  After  the  war  she  returned  to 
Catharinestown,  where  she  was  visited  in  1796  by  the 
French  King  Louis  Phillippe,  then  an  exile  from  his 
native  land.  Schuyler  county  has  perpetuated  her  name 
in  the  two  towns  of  Montour  and  Catharine.  The  grave 
of  one  of  her  sons,  John  Montour,  is  still  discernible  on 
the  west  bank  of  the  Genesee,  opposite  the  village  of 
Geneseo,  near  the  site  of  the  Indian  village  of  Big  Tree. 
Another  son,  dying  of  wounds  received  in  a  skirmish, 
was  buried  at  Painted  Post,  and  the  stake  set  up  at  his 
grave  and  painted  with  various  hieroglyphics  is  said  to 
have  given  the  name  to  this  place.  Catharinestown, 
containing  about  thirty  houses,  many  of  them  excellent 
dwellings,  was  destroyed,  together  with  many  fruit  trees 
and  the  growing  crops  of  grain  and  vegetables.  The 
soldiers  found  in  a  thicket  near  this  town  the  old  squaw 
mentioned  in  a  previous  chapter,  who  had  been  unable 
to  make  her  escape.  From  her  Sullivan  gained  much 
information.  She  told  him,  in  addition  to  what  has 
already  been  noted  in  these  pages,  that  the  Indians 
"  kept  runners  on  every  mountain  'to  observe  the  mo- 
tions of  our  army,  who  reported  early  in  the  day  on 
which  we  arrived  that  our  advance  was  very  rapid, 
upon  which  all  those  who  had  not  been  before  sent  off 


History  of  'Sullivan  s  Campaign.  133 

fled  with  precipitation,  leaving  her  without  any  possible 
means  of  escape."  Sullivan  adds  in  his  report  that  the 
squaw  informed  him  that  most  of  the  wounded  had  been 
sent  up  the  Tioga  in  canoes  by  Brant.  "  I  was  from 
many  circumstances,"  he  says,  "fully  convinced  of  the 
truth  and  sincerity  of  her  declarations,  and  the  more  so 
as  we  had,  on  the  day  we  left  Newtown,  discovered  a 
great  number  of  bloody  packs,  arms  and  accoutrements 
thrown  away  in  the  road  and  in  the  woods  on  each  side 
of  it.  Besides  which  we  discovered  a  number  of  recent 
graves,  one  of  which  has  been  since  opened,  containing 
the  bodies  of  two  persons  who  died  by  wounds.  Those 
circumstances,  when  added  to  that  of  so  many  warriors 
being  left  dead  on  the  field,  a  circumstance  not  common 
with  Indians,  was  sufficient  to  corroborate  the  woman's 
declaration,  and  to  prove  what  I  before  conjectured,  that 
the  loss  of  the  enemy  was  much  greater  than  was  at  first 
apprehended." 

While  at  Catharinestown,  General  Sullivan,  who  was 
disappointed  that  the  Oneidas  had  not  given  him  more 
assistance  as  guides  and  scouts,  despatched  one  of  those 
with  him  to  the  warriors  of  his  nation,  calling  upon  all 
who  were  friendly  to  the  Americans  to  join  the  expedi- 
tion immediately.  The  runner  was  also  instructed  to 
give  his  people  a  full  account  of  the  decisive  victory 
won  at  Newtown,  that  they  might  be  the  more  impressed 
by  his  power,  and  assured  of  his  future  success.  The 
messenger  proceeded  on  his  journey,  but  did  not  rejoin 
the  expedition  until  the  army  reached  Kanadesaga,  Sep- 
tember i Qth,  on  its  return  march,  when  he  presented 
himself  with  two  other  Oneida  warriors  and  a  sachem, 
bearing  a  reply  to  General  Sullivan.  This  message 
stated  that  on  the  arrival  of  the  warrior  among  his 
people  a  council  had  been  convened  and  his  report  of 
the  American  victory  received  with  delight.  In  answer 


134  History  of  Sullivan  s   Campaign. 

to  the  summons  sent  by  Sullivan,  seventy  of  the  warriors 
had  started  with  him  to  join  the  army,  and  thirty  others 
were  to  have  followed  the  next  day.  Proceeding  but  a 
short  distance,  however,  they  met  an  Oneida  warrior 
near  the  Onondaga  village,  who  had  just  come  from  the 
army,  and  who  informed  them  that  Sullivan  had  already 
reached  Kanadesaga,  and  had  a  sufficient  force,  his  only 
need  being  a  few  good  guides.  The  warriors,  therefore, 
turned  back,  but  sent  by  this  delegation  an  address  in- 
terceding in  behalf  of  a  portion  of  the  Cayugas,  who,  as 
they  asserted,  had  always  been  friendly  to  the  Colonies. 
The  Oneidas  therefore  begged  Sullivan  that  he  would 
not  destroy  the  crops  of  these  Cayugas,  as  the  Oneidas 
would  be  compelled  to  support  them,  and  the  burden 
was  already  a  heavy  one,  in  caring  for  the  destitute 
Onondagas.  General  Sullivan  returned  a  reply  in  which 
he  thanked  the  Oneidas  for  their  fidelity  to  the  Ameri- 
can cause,  but  expressed  his  surprise  that  they  should 
intercede  for  the  Cayugas,  whose  course  had  been 
marked  by  treachery  and  hostility.  Afterward,  as  will 
appear  in  the  course  of  this  narrative,  the  Oneidas  were 
convinced  of  this  fact,  and  were  satisfied  with  the  course 
pursued  by  General  Sullivan  in  punishing  the  Cayugas. 
On  the  3d  of  September  the  army  again  took  up  the 
line  of  march  from  Catharinestown  at  8  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  and  passing  down  Catharine's  creek  three 
miles,  came  to  the  head  of  Seneca  lake.  Here  a  detour 
was  made  to  the  right,  and  the  march  continued  on  the 
east  side  of  the  lake,  over  high  but  level  ground,  tim- 
bered chiefly  with  white  oak.  At  2  o'clock  the  army 
passed  Peach  Orchard,*  an  Indian  village,  on  the  shore 
of  the  lake,  which  was  destroyed.  After  making  eleven 

miles  on  this  day,  the  army  encamped  in  the  woods,  near 

*  Called  Appletree  Town  in  some  journals  of  the  expedition.     It  was  locat- 
ed in  the  present  town  of  Hector,  Schuyler  county. 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign.  135 

a  small  town  of  about  eight  houses.  On  the  4th  the 
march  was  resumed  in  good  season,  and  the  army  made 
twelve  miles,  when  it  halted  and  encamped  in  the  woods 
on  the  lake  shore.  The  Indian  town  of  Condawhaw,  on 
the  present  site  of  North  Hector,  was  burned,  and  sev- 
eral cornfields  and  scattered  houses  passed  on  this  and 
the  previous  day's  march,  shared  the  fate  in  store  for  all 
the  possessions  of  the  ill-fated  Indians.  The  march  on 
the  4th  was  somewhat  impeded  by  several  deep  and  nar- 
row denies,  where  the  streams  had  cut  their  way  through 
to  the  lake.  On  the  5th  of  September,  after  a  good  half 
day's  march,  the  army  reached  Kendaia  (or  Kendai),  at 
12  o'clock.*  This  town,  consisting  of  about  twenty 
houses,  "  neatly  built  and  finished,"  was  situated  about 
half  a  mile  from  the  lake  shore  on  land  now  owned  by 
Edward  Van  Vliet,  in  the  present  town  of  Romulus. 
This  place  was  known  as  Appletown  to  the  early  settlers. 
It  had  the  appearance  of  being  an  old  inhabited  town. 
The  tombs  found  here,  especially  of  the  warriors,  were 
"  beautifully  painted  boxes,"  built  over  the  graves,  of 
planks  hewn  from  the  timber.  A  great  many  apple 
trees  were  growing  in  the  vicinity,  some  of  them  of  con- 
siderable age,  showing  that  the  place  had  been  long  peo- 
pled by  the  Indians.  At  this  place  a  white  man,  who 
had  been  captured  at  Wyoming  the  year  before  by  the 
Indians,  came  into  the  lines,  having  made  his  escape 
from  his  captors  in  the  confusion  of  their  flight.  He  was 
quite  overjoyed  that  he  had  escaped,  and  was  delighted 
to  find  some  of  his  old  neighbors  at  Wyoming,  who  had 
accompanied  the  expedition  as  volunteers.  He  informed 
General  Sullivan  that  the  Indians  were  very  much  de- 
jected and  alarmed  by  their  defeat  at  Newtown,  and  had 
left  the  town  three  days  before  in  the  greatest  confusion. 


*  A  small  town  on  the  present  site  of  Lodi  Landing,  appears  to  have  been 
missed  by  Sullivan,  the  trail  being  nearly  two  miles  east  of  the  lake  at  this  point. 


136  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign. 

Some  of  the  Tories  informed  him  that  great  numbers 
had  been  killed  and  wounded  at  Newtown,  and  there  was 
no  safety  but  in  flight..  Butler  had  endeavored  to  in- 
duce the  Indians  to  make  a  stand  at  Kanadesaga,  but 
they  declined  to  throw  away  their  lives  in  what  they 
regarded  as  a  vain  attempt  to  oppose  such  an  army. 
This  man's  testimony  corroborated  that  of  the  squaw 
found  at  Catharinestown  in  regard  to  the  wounded  being 
taken  up  the  Tioga  in  boats,  and  in  other  particulars,  show- 
ing that  she  had  been  truthful  in  her  statements.  It  was 
the  opinion  of  this  man  that  the  King*  of  Kanadesaga  was 
killed,  as  he  saw  him  on  his  way  down  to  Newtown  and 
did  not  see  him  return.  The  description  he  gave  of  this 
chief's  person  and  dress  corresponded  with  that  of  one 
found  on  the  field  after  the  battle,  which  convinced  Sul- 
livan that  the  Indians  had  lost  one  of  their  most  dis- 
tinguished leaders.  Nearly  a  day  was  spent  at  Kendaia 
in  destroying  the  crops  and  fruit  trees.  This  work  of 
destruction  being  accomplished  the  army  again  moved 
forward,  and  after  proceeding  a  distance  of  about  three 
miles  encamped  on  the  edge  of  the  lake.  The  land  in 
this  vicinity  was  timbered  with  white  oak,  and  sloped 
gradually  toward  the  lake. 

The  march  was  resumed  on  the  /th  of  September  in 
good  season,  and  the  foot  of  Seneca  lake  was  finally 
reached.  Here  the  army  crossed  the  outlet  and  passed 
through  a  narrow  defile,  about  a  mile  in  length,  with  the 
lake  on  the  left  and  an  impassable  morass  on  the  right. 
At  sundown  the  northeast  corner  of  the  lake  was  reached, 
when  a  small  settlement  was  found  and  destroyed.  Be- 
yond this  a  short  distance  was  Kanadesaga,  or  Seneca 
Castle,  of  which  much  had  been  heard  by  the  soldiers, 


*  Thus  given  by  Sullivan.  The  Iroquois  had  no  kings,  however,  and  the 
person  referred  to  must  have  been  one  of  the  noted  chiefs,  who  were  often 
called  kings  by  the  whites. 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign.  137 

and  a  strong  desire  was  felt  to  surprise  and  capture  it 
before  the  Indians  should  discover  their  approach.  Sit- 
uated on  the  great  trail  leading  from  Albany  to  Niagara, 
it  was  frequently  visited  not  only  by  the  Indians  of 
neighboring  villages  and  tribes,  but  by  the  Butlers  and 
other  Tory  leaders,  and  often  was  the  resting  place  of 
predatory  bands  on  their  way  to  or  returning  from  the 
ill-fated  settlements.  Here  Brant  and  Butler  paused  to 
divide  the  prisoners  and  spoils,  after  the  Cherry  Valley 
massacre,  and  doubtless  many  a  prisoner  had  within  its 
bounds  experienced  the  most  excruciating  torture  which 
savage  ingenuity  could  devise  or  ferocious  hatred  inflict. 
Kanadesaga  was  situated  on  the  present  "  Castle  road," 
two  miles  west  of  the  present  flourishing  village  of  Gen- 
eva. As  Sullivan  approached  the  town  he  sent  one 
brigade  to  the  right  and  another  to  the  left,  through  the 
woods,  while  the  main  army  advanced  in  front,  intending 
to  surround  it  and  cut  off  the  Indians  from  any  means 
of  escape.  They  had  already  fled,  however,  and  the 
town  was  entirely  deserted  except  by  a  male  white  child 
about  three  years  old,  which  was  found  by  the  soldiers 
playing  in  front  of  one  of  the  dwellings.*  The  town 
was  found  to  consist  of  fifty  houses,  and  in  the  vicinity 
were  extensive  apple  and  peach  orchards,  all  of  which 
were  destroyed.  In  the  center  of  the  town  was  a  stock- 
ade or  fort,  built  by  Sir  William  Johnson  in  1756,  which 

*  This  child  was  evidently  of  Dutch  parentage,  and  had  probably  been  cap- 
tured on  the  Pennsylvania  border.  It  could  speak  a  few  Indian  words.  When 
found  it  was  entirely  naked  and  nearly  starved.  General  Sullivan  took  a  great 
interest  in  the  little  waif,  and  caused  it  to  be  placed  in  a  panier  or  basket  on  a 
pack-horse,  in  which  conveyance  it  accompanied  the  army  until  its  return  to 
Wyoming.  Captain  Machin  of  the  engineer  corps,  had  the  little  fellow 
christened  Thomas  Machin,  and  its  nourishment  was  derived  from  an  excellent 
cow  which  shared  all  the  vicissitudes  of  the  campaign  and  returned  in  safety 
to  Wyoming.  The  child  was  taken  to  New  Windsor,  near  Newburgh,  at  the 
end  of  the  campaign,  where  it  soon  died  of  the  small-pox.  No  clue  to  its 
identity  was  ever  discovered. 
10 


138  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign. 

had  long  been  disused  and  had  gone  to  ruin.  The  sol- 
diers found  in  the  houses  many  skins  and  Indian  trinkets, 
besides  a  quantity  of  corn  which  the  hasty  flight  of  the 
Indians  had  caused  them  to  abandon.  Very  large  fields 
of  corn  and  a  considerable  quantity  of  hay  in  stacks 
were  found,  which  were  burned.  A  member  of  the  ex- 
pedition also  states  that  several  horses  and  cows  were 
found  here. 

On  the  8th  of  September,  while  the  main  body  were 
employed  in  destroying  the  crops,  trees  and  dwellings 
of  the  Senecas  at  this  place,  a  detachment  of  four  hun- 
dred men,  including  the  riflemen,  was  sent  up  the  west 
side  of  the  lake  to  destroy  Gothseunquean,  and  the  crops 
and  'orchards  in  the  vicinity.  It  was  situated  on  the 
snore  of  the  lake,  about  seven  miles  south  of  Geneva. 
It  contained  twenty  houses.  At  the  same  time  Captain 
Harper  and  a  company  of  volunteers  made  a  forced 
march  toward  Cayuga  lake,  and  destroyed  Scawyace,  a 
village  situated  on  the  north  bank  of  the  Seneca  lake 
outlet,  on  the  present  site  of  Waterloo.  It  contained 
about  eighteen  houses.  General  Sullivan  despatched  a 
captain  and  fifty  men  Irom  this  point  to  the  garrison  at 
Tioga  with  the  sick  and  lame,  and  such  others  as  were 
unfit  to  continue  the  march. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

MARCH    FROM   KANADESAGA   TO   KANAGHSAWS. 

THE  heavy  rain  on  the  previous  night  prevented  the 
army  from  marching  until  about  noon  of  September 
9th.  When  ready  to  break  camp  the  soldiers  destroyed 
all  the  "corn,  beans,  peas,  squashes,  potatoes,  onions, 
turnips,  cabbages,  cucumbers,  watermelons,  carrots  and 
parsnips  the  men,  horses  and  cattle  could  not  eat."* 
For  three  miles  of  the  route  on  this  day,  the  army 
passed  through  old  fields  which  had  been  cultivated  at 
an  earlier  day,  but  were  then  overgrown  with  bushes 
and  grass.  The  way  then  lay  through  a  swamp  which 
seriously  impeded  the  march  for  six  miles,  when  a  small 
stream  was  crossed  and  the  army  encamped  in  an  old 
field  near  Flint  creek,  in  Ontario  county,  having  marched 
about  nine  miles  from  Kanadesaga. 

Early  on  the  morning  of  September  loth  the  army 
broke  camp  and  proceeded  westward.  About  two  miles 
of  the  way  was  again  over  swampy  ground,  which  being 
safely  passed,  other  large  fields  formerly  cultivated, 
were  entered  upon.  These  extended,  with  occasional 
intervening  forests,  for  a  distance  of  about  three  miles. 
Marching  about  a  mile  after  leaving  these  fields,  the 
army  came  to  the  foot  of  Canandaigua  lake,  and  cross- 
ing the  outlet,  proceeded  about  half  a  mile  further,  when 
Kanandaiqua  was  reached.  This  was  an  Indian  village 
of  about  twenty-three  houses,  located  on  the  west  side 
and  about  one  mile  from  the  lake.  The  houses,  Sullivan 
says,  were  "  very  elegant,  mostly  framed,  and  in  general 

*  Moses  Fellows'  journal. 


140  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign. 

large."  Another  officer  states  that  the  town  had  the 
appearance  of  having  been  inhabited  by  white  people, 
as  some  of  the  houses  had  "very  neat  chimneys,  which 
the  Indians  have  not,  but  build  a  fire  center,  around 
which  they  gather."  After  destroying  this  place,  which 
was  reached  about  two  o'clock,  the  army  would  have 
marched  much  further,  but  finding  some  large  fields  of 
corn  in  the  vicinity  of  the  town,  the  soldiers  were 
ordered  to  destroy  them.  Mention  is  also  made  by  a 
member  of  the  expedition,  of  another  town  destroyed 
two  or  three  miles  from  Kanandaiqua,  but  other  officers 
do  not  speak  of  it.  The  army  then  encamped  near  the 
village.  Previous  to  reaching  Kanandaiqua  this  day, 
tlje  detachment  sent  to  destroy  the  village  on  the  west 
side  of  Seneca  lake,  rejoined  the  army,  having  been  em- 
ployed nearly  two  days  in  the  discharge  of  this  duty. 

Desirous  of  reaching  the  next  town  that  day,  the  army 
marched  on  Saturday,  September  nth,  at  a  much  earlier 
hour  than  usual.  At  six  o'clock  in  the  morning  the 
whole  force  was  moving  forward.  For  a  few  miles  the 
route  lay  through  a  swamp,  thickly  covered  with  a 
thicket  which  much  impeded  the  march.  Several  high 
hills  had  also  to  be  ascended,  but  all  these  difficulties 
were  successfully  met,  and  at  dusk  Hanneyaye  was 
reached,  after  a  march  of  about  thirteen  hours.  Before 
reaching  this  point  the  summits  of  the  hills  had  given 
the  soldiers  views  of  the  wide  stretch  of  country  to  the 
westward  which  they  were  to  traverse,  covered  with 
forests  of  oak  and  hickory,  with  here  and  there  a  field 
where  the  wild  grass  grew  to  a  remarkable  height. 
Hanneyaye  was  found  to  be  an  Indian  village  of  fifteen 
or  twenty  houses,  finely  situated  about  half  a  mile  from 
the  foot  of  Honeoye  lake.  The  site  was  on  the  east  side 
of  the  outlet,  near  the  present  village  of  Honeoye,  in 
the  town  of  Richmond,  Ontario  county.  Surrounding 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign.  141 

it  were  apple  and  peach  orchards,  and  several  extensive 
cornfields. 

While  at  this  place  General  Sullivan  gained  such 
information  from  two  prisoners  as  determined  him  at 
all  hazards  to  push  forward  to  the  Genesee.  He  was 
informed  by  them  that  Chinesee*  was  the  grand  capital 
of  the  Indian  country,  where  the  stores  of  the  enemy 
and  their  broadest  fields  were  to  be  found.  Here  all 
the  Indians,  assisted  by  a  large  force  of  Tories  and 
British  troops,  had  been  engaged  the  preceding  spring 
in  planting  the  fields,  that  sufficient  supplies  might  be 
raised  to  support  the  tribes  while  they  were  engaged 
in  their  depredations  on  the  border.  It  is  said  that 
these  operations  were  carried  on  under  the  direction 
of  Walter  Butler,  who  spent  several  months  in  the 
Genesee  valley,  "  making  his  headquarters  at  the  cabin 
of  Mary  Jemison,  the  White  Woman.  Here  he  was 
supplied  with  port  wine  by  the  barrel,  and  amused  his 
leisure  hours  in  fishing  and  hunting."  This  information, 
says  Sullivan,  "  determined  me  at  all  events  to  reach 
that  settlement,  though  the  state  of  my  provisions,  much 
reduced  by  unavoidable  accidents,  almost  forbade  the 
attempt.  My  flour  had  been  much  reduced  by  the  fail- 
ure of  pack-horses  and  in  the  passage  of  creeks  and 
defiles ;  and  twenty  of  the  cattle  had  been  unavoidably 
lost."  Before  proceeding,  however,  a  post  was  estab- 
lished at  Hanneyaye,  where  a  garrison  of  fifty  men  was 
left,  "under  the  command  of  Captain  Cummings,  of  the 
2d  New  Jersey.  He  constructed  a  fort  called  Fort 
Cummings,  using  for  the  purpose  one  of  the  Indian 
houses,  which  was  pierced  with  loop  holes  and  sur- 
rounded with  apple-trees  arranged  as  abatis.  Here 
were  left  all  the  heavy  stores,  two  field-pieces,  and  all 

*  The  name  applied  by  Sullivan  and  his  contemporaries  to  Little  Beard's 
Town,  on  the  west  side  of  the  Genesee. 


142  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign. 

the  sick  and  lame,  nearly  two  hundred  and  fifty  in  num- 
ber. A  large  number  of  pack-horses  were  also  left  here, 
which  were  suffered  to  roam  in  the  woods. 

On  the  1 2th  of  September  a  heavy  rain  delayed  the 
march  until  nearly  noon,  although  both  rank  and  file 
were  impatient  to  move.  At  eleven  o'clock  came  the 
welcome  order  to  advance,  and  relieved  of  the  heavy 
stores,  it  was  hoped  that  the  next  Indian  town,  Kanagh- 
saws,  might  be  reached  before  nightfall.  But  the  rough 
country  through  which  the  route  lay,  prevented  a  rapid 
march.  The  steep  hills  and  narrow  defiles  broke  the 
order  of  march,  while  the  recent  heavy  rains  made  the 
way  almost  impassable  for  the  artillery.  After  proceed- 
ing about  five  miles  Hemlock  lake  was  reached,  and  was 
forded  near  the  mouth  of  the  outlet  by  the  troops,  where 
the  stream  was  about  two  feet  deep  and  ten  yards  wide. 
A  short  distance  west  of  this  point  the  troops  ascended 
the  steep  hill  and  gained  the  table-land  between  Hem- 
lock and  Conesus  lakes.  The  army  then  proceeded  in 
almost  a  direct  southwest  line,  through  the  present 
townships  of  Livonia  and  Conesus,  and  at  nightfall  Gen- 
eral Hand's  light  corps  had  arrived  within  half  a  mile 
of  Kanaghsaws,*  at  the  head  of  Conesus  lake. 

The  army's  progress  had  been  so  slow,  however,  that 
the  light  corps  had  left  the  main  body  far  to  the  rear, 
and  the  original  intention  of  encamping  that  night  in  the 
Indian  village  was  reluctantly  abandoned.  General 
Hand  encamped  on  what  is  now  the  Dr.  McMillan  farm, 
in  the  town  of  Conesus,  while  the  main  body  encamped 
three-quarters  of  a  mile  southwest  of  the  modern  village 
of  Conesus  Center.  Doty  states  that  the  spot  is  now 
embraced  in  a  nine-acre  field,  forming  part  of  the  farm 

*  Conesus,  called  Gah-njruh-sas,  Adjuton  and  Adjusta.  It  was  an  Indian 
village  of  eighteen  houses,  on  the  east  side  of  the  inlet,  a  short  distance  from 
the  head  of  Conesus  lake.  Captain  Sunfish,  an  enterprising  negro,  was  said 
to  live  here.  It  was  also  the  home  of  Big  Tree. 


.  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign.  143 

taken  up  after  the  war  by  Lemuel  Richardson,  who  was 
a  Revolutionary  soldier  and  a  member  of  the  expedi- 
tion. Portions  of  the  force,  however,  were  still  far  in 
the  rear.  The  march  had  been  an  extremely  difficult 
one,  and  the  several  commands  becoming  widely  sepa- 
rated, some  detachments  encamped  far  in  the  rear.  The 
route  from  Hanneyaye,  about  which  there  has  been 
some  dispute,  ran  in  nearly  a  direct  west  line  from  that 
place  to  the  foot  of  Hemlock  lake,  and  not  north  or 
south  of  that  point,  as  local  tradition  has  it.  On  "  Short's 
flats,"  which  extend  north  from  the  foot  of  the  lake,  the 
army  destroyed  large  fields  of  corn.  The  trail  probably 
followed  the  present  wagon  road  leading  past  the  Jacques 
House.  Smaller  detachments,  straying  out  of  their  course, 
might  have  passed  over  diverging  trails,  but  the  main 
army  followed  the  old  Big  Tree  trail,  which  wound 
around  the  foot  of  Hemlock  lake,  and  ran  southwesterly 
to  Kanaghsaws. 

While  the  army  was  thus  drawing  nearer  to  the  Indian 
villages  on  the  Genesee,  the  enemy  held  a  hasty  council, 
and  resolved  once  more  to  give  Sullivan  battle,  that  they 
might,  if  possible,  prevent  his  total  destruction  of  their 
homes.  Mary  Jemison  says  all  the  women  and  children 
were  accordingly  sent  into  the  woods  just  west  of  Little 
Beard's  Town,  where  they  would  be  able  to  retreat  in 
safety,  if  necessary,  and  then  the  Indians  and  their  allies 
set  out  to  meet  the  dreaded  foe.  The  spot  which  they 
selected  for  their  attack  was  near  the  head  of  Conesus 
lake.*  Here  the  Indians,  after  waiting  some  time,  rose 
up  on  the  approach  of  the  advance  of  Sullivan's  army, 
but  succeeded  only  in  capturing  two  Oneida  Indians, 
who  were  acting  as  guides  and  scouts  for  the  Ameri- 


*  Mary  Jemison  says  between  Honeoye  creek  and  the  head  of  Conesus  lake, 
and  Colonel  Stone  adds,  "  at  or  near  a  place  now  called  Henderson's  Flats." 
This  would  be  near  the  Indian  village  at  the  head  of  the  lake. 


144  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign. 

cans.*  While  these  prisoners  were  being  taken  toward 
Little  Beard's  Town,  one  of  them  was  killed  under  the 
most  shocking  circumstances.  He  had  been  an  earnest 
friend  of  the  Americans  during  the  war,  and  had  ren- 
dered important  service  to  the  Colonies.  He  was  one 
of  Sullivan's  trusted  guides,  and  his  zeal  and  faithfulness 
had  been  marked.  At  the  beginning  of  the  war  an  elder 
brother  had  sought  in  vain  to  induce  him  to  enter  the 
British  service,  and  so  they  had  separated,  one  to  es- 
pouse the  cause  of  the  king,  the  other  to  become  the 
faithful  friend  of  the  struggling  Colonists.  The  elder 
brother  was  with  Brant,  and  now  the  two  were  suddenly 
brought  face  to  face  by  the  strange  vicissitudes  of  war. 
When  this  warrior  recognized  in  the  captive  his  younger 
brother,  his  eyes  blazed  with  anger,  and  advancing 
toward  him  with  scornful,  haughty  mien,  he  thus  ad- 
dressed him : 

"  Brother  !  You  have  merited  death  !  The  hatchet 
or  the  war-club  shall  finish  your  career  !  When  I  begged 
of  you  to  follow  me  in  the  fortunes  of  war,  you  were 
deaf  to  my  cries ;  you  spurned  my  entreaties  ! 

"  Brother  !     You  have  merited  death,  and  shall  have 

*  The  published  accounts  of  this  affair  are  conflicting  and  uniatisfactory. 
Both  Stone  and  Mary  Jemison  state  that  the  Indians  fell  on  the  advance  of 
the  Americans,  and  that  a  sharp  skirmish  ensued.  Members  of  the  expedition 
make  no  mention  of  this,  but  on  the  contrary  state  that  no  engagement  was  had 
with  the  Indians  after  leaving  Newtown,  until  the  ill-fated  Boyd  and  his  party 
were  ambushed.  Van  Campen  states  that  Sullivan  was  looking  for  an  attack 
after  leaving  Hanneyaye,  and  kept  his  riflemen  on  the  alert,  so  that  the  design 
of  the  Indians  to  surprise  them  was  frustrated.  He  then  disposes  of  this  ac- 
count of  the  capture  of  two  Oneidas,  by  making  them  two  guides  who  accom- 
panied Boyd  and  were  captured  with  him.  But  only  one  Oneida,  and  that 
Hanyerry,  was  with  Boyd,  and  he  was  slain  in  the  skirmish  and  his  body  left 
on  the  field,  when  that  officer  was  captured.  Colonel  Stone  makes  a  clear  dis- 
tinction between  these  Oneidas  and  Hanyerry.  Weighing  the  conflicting 
accounts  I  am  satisfied  that  the  narrative  given  in  the  text  is  substantially  cor- 
rect. The  two  Oneidas  were  probably  considerably  in  advance,  and  were  cut 
off  and  captured  without  a  struggle. 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign.  145 

your  deserts  !  When  the  rebels  raised  their  hatchets  to 
fight  their  good  master,  you  sharpened  your  knife,  you 
brightened  your  rifle,  and  led  on  our  foes  to  the  fields  of 
our  fathers ! 

"  Brother !  You  have  merited  death  and  shall  die  by 
our  hands  !  When  those  rebels  had  driven  us  from  the 
fields  of  our  fathers,  to  seek  out  new  homes,  it  was  you 
who  could  dare  to  step  forth  as  their  pilot,  and  conduct 
them  even  to  the  doors  of  our  wigwams,  to  butcher  our 
children  and  put  us  to  death !  No  crime  can  be  greater ! 
But  though  you  have  merited  death,  and  shall  die  on 
this  spot,  my  hands  shall  not  be  stained  with  the  blood 
of  a  brother!  Who  will  strike?" 

Instantly  Little  Beard,  one  of  the  most  blood-thirsty 
of  the  Seneca  warriors,  stepped  forward,  his  tomahawk 
flashed  in  the  air,  and  descending,  cleaved  the  skull  of 
the  Oneida  captive,  who  fell  dead  at  his  feet.*  The 
other  captive  was  then  assured  by  Little  Beard  that  they 
were  warring  only  against  the  whites,  and  that  his  life 
should  be  spared.  He  also  told  him  that  at  the  proper 
time  he  would  be  set  at  liberty.  Shortly  afterward, 
however,  distrusting  the  good  faith  of  Little  Beard,  the 
Oneida  made  his  escape  and  gained  Sullivan's  lines  in 
safety.f 


*  Stone  says  :  "  This  was  truly  a  shocking  transaction,  but  not  so  shocking 
as  that  of  the  horrible  fratricide  before  recorded  at  Wyoming,  nor  so  shocking 
as  the  attempt  of  the  brother  of  Colonel  Frey  at  Oriskany.  The  Indian  had 
far  the  most  humanity,  and  far  the  highest  sense  of  honor  and  duty." 

f  It  has  been  stated  that  while  the  Indians  were  pursuing  the  escaping  pris- 
oner, they  accidentally  fell  in  with  Boyd's  party,  an  account  of  whose  fate  is 
given  in  the  following  chapter.  This  does  not  seem  reasonable,  and  I  am  in- 
clined to  agree  with  Treat  that  the  attack  on  Boyd  was  premeditated.  Closely 
watched  as  all  the  movements  of  Sullivan's  army  were,  it  is  not  probable  that 
Boyd  went  far  beyond  the  lines  without  the  knowledge  of  the  foe.  Those 
pursuing  the  Oneida  very  likely  soon  joined  the  party  lying  in  ambush  for 
Boyd's  unfortunate  men,  and  aided  in  the  massacre  which  followed. 


146  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign. 

Returning  to  note  the  movements  of  Sullivan's  army, 
we  find  the  Commander-in-chief,  at  nightfall  of  the  I2th 
of  September,  in  his  headquarters  with  the  main  body 
on  the  present  Richardson  farm.  Hither  he  soon  sum- 
mons Lieutenant  Thomas  Boyd,*  of  Morgan's  Rifle 
Corps,  and  when  that  young  officer,  who  had  been 
chosen  on  account  of  his  bravery  and  devotion,  obeys 
the  summons,  he  is  ordered  to  take  three  or  four  rifle- 
men, the  Oneida  chief  Hanyerry,  and  a  guide,  and 
proceed  immediately  to  reconnoitre  the  famed  Chinesee 
castle,  on  the  Genesee,  stories  of  the  importance  of 
which  had  been  borne  to  Sullivan,  and  caused  him  to 
determine,  if  possible,  to  surprise  and  capture  it. 

Much  uncertainty  existed  as  to  the  precise  location  of 
the  town,  and  doubtless  Boyd's  mission  was  to  learn 
where  it  was,  and  the  most  direct  route  to  it.  General 
Sullivan  expected  to  find  Chinesee  castle  on  the  east 
side  of  the  river,  near  the  mouth  of  Canaseraga  creek, 
where  it  appeared  on  the  maps  which  he  consulted. 
These  maps  were  denounced  by  Sullivan  as  "  erroneous 
and  calculated  to  perplex  rather  than  to  enlighten,"  but 
they  doubtless  represented  the  position  of  the  towns  at 
the  time  they  were  made,  the  changes  made  by  migra- 
tion causing  the  difficulty.  It  is  stated  that  as  early  as 
1750  and  as  late  as  1770  the  great  village  was  on  the 
east  side  of  the  river,  on  the  site  of  the  pioneer  village 
of  Williamsburg,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Canaseraga.  Here 

*  Lieutenant  Thomas  Boyd  was  a  native  of  Northumberland  county.  Pa., 
where  he  was  born  in  1757.  His  father  and  only  sister  died  before  the  Revo- 
lution. His  mother  had  three  sons  whom  she  sent  into  the  field  with  the 
njunction  "never  to  disgrace  their  swords  by  any  act  of  cowardice."  Lieu- 
tenant William  Boyd  fell  at  Brandywine.  in  1777.  Thomas,  the  youngest  son, 
went  to  Schoharie  in  the  autumn  of  1778,  with  Major  Posey's  command, 
consisting  of  three  companies  of  Morgan's  rifle  corps,  under  Captains  Pear, 
Simpson  and  Long.  Lieutenant  Boyd  belonged  to  Simpson's  company.  He 
is  described  as  having  been  a  very  sociable  and  agreeable  young  man,  strongly 
built,  and  brave  even  to  rashness. 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign.  147 

the  Guy  Johnson  map  of  1771  located  it  under  the  name 
of  Chenussio,  and  hence  Sullivan,  when  at  Conesus,  be- 
lieved himself  within  seven  miles  of  the  village.  One 
of  the  greatest  difficulties  Sullivan  had  to  encounter 
was  the  want  of  competent  guides.  It  is  said  there  was 
not  a  person  in  the  whole  army  who  had  before  seen  the 
Genesee  river,  and  Sullivan  says  :  "  We  had  not  a  single 
person  who  was  sufficiently  acquainted  with  the  country 
to  conduct  a  party  out  of  the  Indian  path  by  day,  or 
scarcely  in  it  at  night,  though  they  were  the  best  I 
could  possibly  procure."  No  mention  is  made  of  any 
town  at  that  time  at  the  mouth  of  the  Canaseraga,  and 
hence  it  is  concluded  that  the  ancient  town  of  Chinesee, 
or  Chenussio,  was  entirely  abandoned,  Little  Beard's 
Town,  on  the  west  side  of  the  river,  having  taken  its 
place. 

The  duty  assigned  to  Lieutenant  Boyd  was  one  full  of 
danger.  The  route  lay  through  an  unknown  wilderness, 
swarming  with  the  savage  foe.  Hence  General  Sullivan 
was  very  explicit  with  his  instructions.  He  cautioned 
the  young  officer  of  the  dangers  to  be  encountered, 
knowing  that  if  the  latter  failed  to  accomplish  his  mis- 
sion, it  would  be  because  of  his  impetuous  bravery,  and 
not  through  cowardice.  He  was  to  explore  the  route 
to  the  Chinesee  castle,  ascertain  the  strength  and  dispo- 
sition of  the  foe,  and  return  with  all  possible  expedition 
to  the  army.  It  is  probable  that  General  Sullivan  ex- 
pected Boyd  and  his  little  band  to  return  before  the 
dawn  should  multiply  the  chances  of  their  discovery  by 
the  enemy.* 

Boyd  left  the  tent  of  the  Commander-in-chief  to  enter 
with  the  greatest  spirit  on  his  dangerous  mission.  Pro- 
ceeding through  the  camp,  where  the  men  were  gathered 
about  the  fires  preparing  their  supper,  or  entertaining 

*  Moses  Fellows  says  they  were  ordered  to  return  at  daybreak. 


148  History  of  Sullii>ans  Campaign. 

each  other  with  stories  of  their  exciting  life  on  the  bor- 
ders, he  selected  carefully  those  whom  he  desired  to 
accompany  him.  Here,  however,  he  departed  from  the 
strict  letter  of  his  instructions,  and  instead  of  taking 
only  three  or  four  riflemen,  his  party  as  finally  made  up 
consisted  of  twenty-six  men,  including  Hanyerry,  the 
faithful  Oneida  chieftain,  and  Thomas  Murphy,  whose 
daring  exploits  on  the  border  had  already  won  him 
renown  as  a  bold  as  well  as  successful  Indian  fighter. 
The  unfortunate  Boyd,  in  taking  so  many  men  with  him, 
made  a  fatal  mistake.  The  number  was  "  too  few  if 
battle  were  intended  ;  too  many  if  secresy  and  celerity 
were  prime  requisites  of  the  enterprise."  It  was  dusk 
when  the  heroic  little  band,  leaving  their  companions  in 
the  enjoyment  of  the  comforts  and  safety  of  the  camp, 
cheerfully  and  resolutely  set  their  faces  westward,  and 
plunged  into  the  depths  of  the  forest,  where  danger 
lurked  behind  every  tree  and  bush,  and  their  safety 
depended  on  the  slenderest  cord  of  chance.  An  elo- 
quent orator  says :  "  The  world  for  ages  has  sung  the 
song  of  praise  to  Leonidas  and  his  few  Spartan  braves 
who  resisted  the  mighty  hosts  of  Xerxes  at  the  pass  of 
Thermopylae,  and  I  ask  if  this  little  scout  had  a  less 
heroic  duty ;  a  handful  of  men  in  an  unknown  and 
hitherto  untraversed  wilderness,  in  the  very  camp  of  a 
powerful  foe,  who  were  the  more  dangerous  for  being 
unseen,  *  *  *  and  sure  of  suffering  the  bloodiest 
vengeance  of  savage  hate." 

As  Boyd  proceeded,  the  utmost  caution  was  observed, 
yet,  realizing  the  value  of  time,  the  march  was  pushed 
as  rapidly  as  possible.  Crossing  the  Conesus  outlet,  the 
little  band  went  north  along  the  base  of  the  hill  about  a 
third  of  a  mile,  then,  turning  to  the  west,  ascended  the 
steep  hillside.  On  the  brow  of  the  hill  the  Indian  path 
they  were  following  ran  westward,  and  at  a  distance  of 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign.  149 

a  mile  and  a  half  from  Sullivan's  camp  it  divided,  one 
branch  running  nearly  due  west  and  leading  to  a  small 
Indian  village  named  Gathsegwarohare,  on  Canaseraga 
creek,  about  two  miles  from  its  confluence  with  the 
Genesee ;  the  other  followed  a  northwesterly  course 
directly  to  Little  Beard's  Town,  or  Chinesee  castle.  On 
reaching  the  point  where  the  paths  divided,  the  guides 
took  the  wrong  one,  and  the  party  followed  the  trail  to 
the  Canaseraga  village.* 

On  reaching  the  village,  after  a  march  of  about  seven 
miles,  Boyd  found  it  deserted,  but  the  fires  were  still 
burning,  a  circumstance  which  showed  that  the  enemy 
had  but  just  abandoned  it.  Fatigued  with  the  forced 
march,  the  little  band  encamped  near  the  town,  intend- 
ing on  the  approach  of  dawn  to  push  their  inquiries  to 
Chinesee  castle.  Doubtless  they  fully  realized  their 
dangerous  position.  Miles  of  almost  trackless  forest 
separated  them  from  their  companions-in-arms,  and  even 
at  that  moment  they  might  be  hemmed  about  by  their 
unseen  foe.  Yet  they  had  cheerfully  volunteered  for 
this  dangerous  service,  and  rested  on  their  arms  fully 
determined  to  accomplish  their  mission  when  dawn 
should  permit  them  to  proceed. 

*  This  town,  called  also  Cassawaughloughly,  and  various  other  names,  con- 
sisted  of  about  twenty-five  houses,  almost  new.  It  was  situated  on  the  east 
side  of  Canaseraga  creek,  about  two  miles  from  its  mouth.  The  "  Hermitage," 
the  home  of  the  late  Judge  C.  H.  Carroll,  marks  the  spot,  the  house  occupying 
the  site  of  the  ancient  village.  The  Canaseraga  flats,  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  stream,  as  well  as  the  neighboring  swamp,  are  particularly  described  in  the 
journals  of  the  expedition,  and  leave  no  doubt  as  to  its  exact  location.  Those 
writers  who  have  located  this  village  on  the  site  of  the  pioneer  village  of 
Williamsburg,  near  the  residence  of  the  late  D.  H.  Abell,  were  probably  mis- 
led by  the  remains  of  the  ancient  Chenussio  castle  discovered  by  the  early 
settlers  at  that  place. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

MASSACRE   OF  BOYD'S   SCOUTING   PARTY. 

JUST  at  daybreak  on  the  morning  of  the  i3th  of  Sep- 
tember, while  their  companions  were  yet  sleeping, 
Boyd  and  Murphy,  of  the  little  scouting  party  sent  out 
by  Sullivan  on  the  previous  night,  stole  away  to  gain  a 
nearer  view  of  the  Indian  village  near  which  they  had 
encamped.  As  they  approached  the  town  they  discov- 
ered two  Indians  emerge  from  one  of  the  houses  and 
endeavor  to  creep  away  unobserved.  Quick  as  thought 
Murphy  raised  his  ever-ready  rifle,  and  sped  the  uner- 
ring ball  on  its  way.  One  of  the  warriors  fell,  and  Mur- 
phy quickly  secured  his  scalp,  making  the  thirty-third 
he  had  thus  taken  during  his  border  service.  He  also 
took  from  the  feet  of  the  dead  warrior  a  handsome  pair 
of  moccasins  and  put  them  on  his  own  feet.*  The  other 
Indian  escaped.  This  was  an  unfortunate  circumstance, 
as  the  savage  foe  was  doubtless  soon  apprized  by  him  of 
Boyd's  presence,  and  the  fate  of  the  little  band  was 
sealed  from  that  hour.  Boyd  realized  that  he  could  not 
now  carry  out  his  original  design,  and  accordingly  des- 

*  "  After  Sullivan  reached  Conesus  lake,  a  young  Indian  named  Sahnahda- 
yah,  who  could  neither  run  nor  walk  well,  because  of  a  previous  wound 
received  in  one  of  these  skirmishes,  said  he  must  again  go  out  to  fight 
the  Yankees.  His  orphan  sisters  begged  him  to  remain  with  them.  One  of 
them  clung  about  his  person  to  keep  him  back,  but  he  pushed  her  aside  and 
left  the  hut.  Arriving  just  at  daybreak  in  the  little  village  where  Boyd's 
scouting  party  had  passed  the  night,  he  was  discovered  by  Murphy,  and  sunk 
under  his  death-dealing  rifle.  His  moccasins,  worked  with  a  sister's  care, 
were  transferred  to  Murphy's  feet." — Doty's  History  of  Livingston  County. 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign.  151 

patched  two*  messengers  to  General  Sullivan  with  in- 
telligence of  his  operations  and  his  intention  to  return  at 
once. 

While  the  little  band  is  preparing  to  set  out  on  the 
return  march,  let  us  glance  at  the  movements  of  the 
army  during  the  same  period.  Early  on  the  morning  of 
the  1 3th  the  light  brigade  moved  from  its  camp  into  the 
Indian  village  of  Kanaghsaws,  where  it  was  soon  joined 
by  the  other  brigades.  Here  the  soldiers  breakfasted, 
after  which  a  large  force  was  employed  in  destroying 
the  crops  in  the  vicinity,  while  another  detachment  com- 
menced the  construction  of  a  bridge  across  the  inlet, 
which  Sullivan  describes  as  "  an  unfordable  creek." 

While  the  army  was  thus  employed  an  incident  occur- 
red which  showed  the  near  proximity  of  the  enemy. 
Mr.  Lodge,  one  of  the  engineers  who  accompanied  the 
expedition,  was  proceeding  to  chain  from  the  west  side 
of  the  inlet,  and  for  this  purpose  had  ascended  the  hill  a 
short  distance,  outside  of  the  picket  line,  when  he  was 
fired  at  by  an  Indian  who  had  crept  up  unperceived. 
Mr.  Lodge  immediately  turned  and  ran  toward  a  sentinel, 
leaving  his  Jacob-staff  still  standing.  The  Indian  was 
close  at  his  heels,  with  tomahawk  upraised,  when  the 
sentinel,  after  ]VJr.  Lodge  had  passed  him,  raised  his  gun 
and  brought  down  the  savage  before  the  latter  had 
noticed  his  presence.  The  whole  picket  line  was  at  once 
ordered  to  advance,  strongly  supported,  and  on  ascend- 
ing the  hill,  found  a  large  number  of  blankets,  hats  and 
other  articles,  which  the  Indians  had  left  in  their  hurried 
flight.  Simultaneous  with  the  attack  on  Mr.  Lodge,  a 
sentinel  near  the  end  of  the  picket  line  was  fired  on  and 
received  a  wound  which  caused  his  death  on  the  follow- 


*  Sullivan's  report  says  two,  but  other  officers  say  four  men  returned 
early  in  the  morning  from  Boyd's  party,  bringing  intelligence  of  the  desertion 
of  the  Indian  town. 


152  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign, 

ing  day.*  The  sentinel  whose  bravery  and  presence  of 
mind  saved  the  life  of  Mr.  Lodge,  is  said  to  have  been  a 
mere  lad,  and  extremely  diffident  when  questioned  by 
General  Sullivan,  who  ordered  a  sum  of  money  to  be 
paid  to  him  on  the  return  of  the  army. 

By  this  time  the  morning  was  well  advanced,  yet  the 
troops  were  still  employed  in  destroying  the  village  and 
the  crops  in  the  adjacent  fields,  and  in  building  the 
bridge  across  the  inlet.  The  borders  of  the  stream  were 
a  deep  morass,  impassable  for  horses,  which  extended  to 
the  edge  of  the  Indian  village.  A  log  bridge  was  con- 
structed, with  corduroy  approaches,  at  a  spot  about  four 
rods  below  the  present  bridge.  The  remains  of  this 
structure  were  plainly  visible  years  afterward,  when  the 
first  settlers  came  into  the  country.  While  this  work 
was  going  on,  a  picturesque  scene  was  presented. 
"  Five  [four]  thousand  soldiers  had  improvised  their 
camp  upon  the  plain  and  its  immediate  hillsides ;  their 
white  tents  contrasting  vividly  with  the  autumnal 
tint  of  woodland  foliage.  Anon,  the  drum-beat  and 
sentry-call  emphasized,  at  intervals,  the  undertone  of 
warlike  preparation.  The  resounding  echoes,  as  the 
forest  trees  gave  way  for  the  bridge,  and  the  fruit  trees, 
loaded  with  apples  and  peaches,  fell  before  ringing  axe- 
strokes  ;  the  rustling  of  crisp  corn,  trampled  under  heed- 
less feet ;  all  lent  their  busy  music  to  the  scene  which 
had  hitherto  been  the  domain  of  solitude  and  silence." 
Such  is  the  picture  an  enthusiastic  writer  f  draws  for  us 
of  the  scene  presented  on  the  morning  of  this  eventful 
day.  As  time  elapsed,  and  the  scouting  party  did  not 

*  This  is  probably  the  occasion  referred  to  by  Colonel  Stone  and  Mary 
Jemison,  when  the  two  Oneidas  were  captured.  Doubtless  a  general  engage- 
ment was  contemplated  at  this  point,  but  abandoned  when  Sullivan  made  such 
a  prompt  and  masterly  disposition  of  his  troops. 

t  The  late  Colonel  L.  L.  Doty. 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign.  153 

make  its  appearance,  General  Sullivan  was  filled  with 
anxiety,  and  about  mid-day  summoned  a  council  of 
officers  at  his  tent.  Here  came  General  James  Clinton, 
General  William  Maxwell,  General  Edward  Hand, 
General  Enoch  Poor,  and  doubtless  others,  among  them 
the  Rev.  Samuel  Kirkland,  so  long  a  missionary  among 
the  Indians,  and  now  Sullivan's  chaplain  and  guide. 
What  was  done  at  this  council  we  do  not  know,  as  no 
written  account  of  its  deliberations  has  been  preserved. 
We  may  surmise,  however,  that  Sullivan  gave  expression 
to  his  intense  anxiety,  and  that  the  determination  was 
reached  to  push  the  work  of  destruction  and  devastation 
even  to  the  very  stronghold  of  the  Senecas. 

Meanwhile  the  greatest  consternation  prevailed  in  the 
Indian  villages  on  the  Genesee.  For  days  beforehand 
the  Indians  had  known  of  the  steady  approach  of  Sulli- 
van and  his  avenging  host.  Runners  and  wounded 
braves  arriving  daily,  brought  intelligence  of  the 
devastation  which  marked  the  path  of  the  army.  "  The 
air  seemed  to  grow  heavy  with  omens,  and  the  very 
birds  gave  signs  of  approaching  evil."  After  the  army 
reached  Conesus,  several  warriors,  wounded  probably 
in  the  skirmish  with  Boyd,  returned  to  their  villages, 
adding  to  the  dismal  forebodings  of  the  squaws.*  The 

*  "  Though  the  commotion  in  the  Indian  villages  increased  with  the  march 
of  our  men,  none  fled  until,  on  the  evening  that  witnessed  the  enemy's  arrival 
near  the  lake,  a  '  noise  like  thunder '  was  heard  in  that  direction.  An  old 
warrior  said  to  the  wondering  village  that  this  was  the  echo  of  the  Yankee's 
big  guns — those  terrible  engines  which  embodied,  to  Indian  superstition, 
all  the  dread  mysteries  of  hostile  '  medicine  men.'  On  hearing  this  portentous 
word,  the  women  set  up  a  wail,  the  children  bawled  out  a  wild  accompaniment, 
and  the  excitement  grew  every  moment  greater.  By  laying  the  ear  to  the 
ground  the  Indians  could  hear  the  tread  of  the  troops  in  Sullivan's  camp.  The 
day  was  misty  and  rainy  by  turns,  but  preparations  for  quitting  their  villages 
went  actively  forward,  and  in  a  brief  space  the  few  horses  that  could  be  collect- 
ed were  ready  to  begin  the  long  journey  to  Fort  Niagara,  whither  the  families 
were  told  to  direct  their  pilgrimage." — Doty's  Historv  of  Livingston  County. 


154  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign. 

utmost  terror  and  confusion  were  everywhere  manifest- 
ed, and  rapid  preparations  were  made  for  flight. 

At  the  same  time  Boyd  and  his  little  band  were  cau- 
tiously retracing  their  steps,  as  has  been  stated  before, 
hoping  to  reach  the  army  undiscovered  by  the  savages. 
To  guard  against  surprise.  Hanyerry,  the  faithful  Oneida, 
went  before,  Murphy  brought  up  the  rear,  and  every 
tree  and  bush  or  other  place  where  a  foe  might  be  con- 
cealed, was  closely  scanned,  as  the  little  band  advanced. 
"  The  senses  of  all  were  fully  alive  to  the  slightest  sound. 
Nothing  escaped  their  observation.  On,  on  they  went, 
only  about  two  miles  of  the  distance  remained."  Here 
they  reached  a  trail  running  off  to  the  southeast,  around 
the  hill,  and  Hanyerry  earnestly  advised  Boyd  to  take 
that  and  not  the  one  by  which  they  had  come.  The 
advice  was  disregarded,  however,  and  herein  Boyd  made 
his  second  fatal  error.  Had  he  pursued  a  different 
course  perhaps  the  savage  host  then  in  his  front  might 
have  been  eluded,  and  the  camp  safely  reached.  At  least 
the  chances  of  escape  would  have  been  greatly  increased, 
though  the  foe  had  doubtless  watched  his  movements 
closely  from  the  time  of  his  starting  on  his  return. 
Probably  lurking  savages  had  kept  the  warriors  advised 
of  his  movements  until  nearing  the  forks  in  the  path  the 
whole  force  had  swiftly  but  silently  gathered  at  the 
front,  there  to  form  the  ambush  into  which  Boyd  was  so 
unsuspectingly  drawn.  Five  miles  of  the  distance  had 
been  traversed  in  silence,  and  with  nerves  stretched  to 
their  utmost  tension,  but  no  signs  of  the  enemy  were  dis- 
covered. Having  now  reached  the  brow  of  the  hill,  within 
less  than  two  miles  of  Sullivan's  camp,  most  of  the  little 
band  began  to  breathe  freer,  and  their  vigilance  was 
greatly  relaxed.  Delusive  hope !  They  had  come  so 
far,  only  to  be  overwhelmed  by  the  foe,  and  slain  almost 
in  sight  of  their  comrades  and  within  the  reach  of  succor. 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign.  155 

Gradually  the  enemy  lessened  the  circle  formed  about 
the  doomed  men,  and  their  savage  cunning  had  been  ex- 
ercised to  draw  the  detachment  on.  During  the  latter 
part  of  the  march  a  warrior  had  been  seen  to  start  up 
here  and  there  and  run  on  at  some  distance  ahead,  as  if 
inviting  pursuit.  Boyd  desired  to  pursue  them,  but 
Hanyerry  protested,  as  he  was  too  well  acquainted  with 
Indian  artifice  to  be  deceived  by  the  apparent  timidity 
of  these  savages.  "  These,"  he  said,  "  are  only  wishing 
to  draw  us  after  them  until  they  bring  us  into  a  large 
party,  that  are  lying  in  some  place  of  concealment,  where 
we  shall  all  be  cut  off."  Nevertheless  Boyd  led  on  the 
detachment  until  the  events  immediately  following 
proved  that  Hanyerry 's  surmises  were  only  too  well 
founded.  Just  as  they  were  descending  the  hill  at  the 
base  of  which  the  army  lay,  five  or  six  hundred  warriors 
and  loyalists  under  Brant  and  Butler,  rose  up  before 
them,  and  with  horrid,  blood-curdling  yells  closed  in 
upon  the  little  band  from  every  side.  Boyd  realized  at 
once  his  fearful  position,  and  the  whizzing  bullets  of  the 
enemy  showed  him  that  he  had  no  time  to  lose.  With 
such  great  odds  against  him,  there  was  but  one  course 
to  pursue,  and  that  was  to  cut  his  way  through  the 
ranks  of  the  opposing  force.  Such  a  movement  offered 
but  a  slender  chance  of  success,  but  much  rather,  thought 
the  men,  was  death  to  be  preferred  on  the  field,  than  to 
fall  into  the  hands  of  the  savages,  who  were  filled  with 
hate  and  thirsting  for  revenge.  The  order  was  quickly 
given,  and  the  men  charged  against  the  foe.  The  first 
attack  was  unsuccessful,  but  their  fire  told  fearfully  on 
the  enemy,  while,  strange  as  it  may  seem,  none  of  Boyd's 
men  fell.  Again  they  make  their  desperate  charge,  and 
again  for  the  third  time  they  throw  themselves  upon  the 
foe,  the  conflict  being  so  close  that  the  powder  from  the 
enemy's  muskets  blackens  their  faces.  Seventeen  of  the 


156  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign. 

little  band  fall,  and  only  Boyd  and  eight  of  his  men  are 
left.  These  nine  succeeded  in  dashing  through  the  line, 
Murphy,  of  whom  it  was  said  that  "  he  bore  a  charmed 
life,"  tumbling  one  huge  warrior  in  the  dust  who  hap- 
pened to.be  in  his  way,  and  causing  the  savages  to  shout 
with  laughter  at  the  discomfiture  of  their  comrade. 
Hanyerry  had  already  fallen.  This  faithful  Oneida,  wh'o 
had  rendered  distinguished  services  in  the  battle  of  Oris- 
kany,  where  so  many  Mohawk  and  Seneca  warriors  were 
slain,  was  no  less  conspicuous  on  this  occasion,  and  his 
unerring  rifle  caused  many  pf  the  savages  to  bite  the  dust. 
The  Indians,  who  never  forget  a  face,  knew  him,  and 
when  they  closed  in  upon  the  detachment,  Hanyerry  was 
slain,  and  his  body  literally  hacked  to  pieces  by  the  In- 
dians, who  thus  thought  to  avenge  themselves  for  his 
unswerving  devotion  to  the  Americans.  "  The  hope  of 
the  party  was  now  in  Murphy,"  and  Boyd,  knowing  that 
if  any  escaped  it  would  be  the  bold  frontiersman,  en- 
deavored to  follow  him.  This  attempt,  however,  was 
unsuccessful,  and  Boyd  and  one  of  his  men  named  Par- 
ker, who  were  less  fleet  of  foot,  were  taken  prisoners.* 
Most  of  the  others  were  also  slain  before  gaining  any 
great  distance,  one  poor  fellow,  Benjamin  Curtin,  falling 
after  having  slain  one  Indian  in  a  hand  to  hand  conflict. 
Murphy,  finding  himself  clear  of  the  savages,  raised 
his  fist  and  shook  it  defiantly  at  the  foe,  exclaiming 
"  Clear  again,  Tim."  Continuing  his  flight  he  soon  found 
that  he  was  pursued  by  two  savages.  As  these  neared 
him  he  from  time  to  time  pointed  toward  them  his  un- 
loaded rifle,  when  they  would  immediately  fall  back. 
While  thus  beating  a  rapid  retreat  he  found  his  progress 
much  impeded  by  the  moccasins  which  he  had  trans- 
ferred to  his  own  feet  from  those  of  the  Indian  whom 

*  Sullivan  says  that  Boyd  was  wounded  in  the  engagement  by  a  shot  through 
the  body.     If  this  were  so  his  inability  to  follow  Murphy  may  be  explained. 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign.  157 

he  had  slain  in  the  morning,  and  taking  his  knife  he  slit 
the  tops  as  he  ran,  cutting-  deep  gashes  in  his  feet  at  the 
same  time,  from  which  the  blood  flowed  freely.  He 
soon  entered  a  swale,  where  the  tall  grass  entangled  his 
feet  and  threw  him  to  the  ground,  but  fortunately  he  was 
hidden  from  his  pursuers,  who  having  lost  sight  of  him 
gave  up  the  chase.  He  now  loaded  his  rifle  again  and 
being  satisfied  that  he  could  do  nothing  to  rescue  his 
companions,  he  set  out  to  reach  the  camp.  Scarcely  had 
he  come  out  of  his  place  of  concealment,  however,  than 
he  found  that  he  was  again  pursued  by  an  Indian,  and 
dodging  behind  a  tree,  while  the  Indian  sought  the 
shelter  of  another,  they  vainly  sought  for  a  shot  at  each 
other  for  some  time.  At  last  Murphy  placed  his  hat 
upon  his  ramrod  and  thrust  it  a  few  inches  beyond  the 
tree.  The  Indian  immediately  put  a  ball  through  it,  and 
rushing  up  to  scalp  his  supposed  victim  received  Mur- 
phy's bullet  in  his  breast  and  fell  dead.  Murphy  now 
hastened  on  before  the  sound  of  his  rifle  should  draw 
about  him  an  overwhelming  force  of  the  savages,  and 
soon  reached  the  camp.  Three  others,  McDonald,  Gar- 
ret Putman,  and  a  French  Canadian,  also  succeeded  in 
returning  to  the  camp.  John  Putman,  a  cousin  of  Gar- 
ret, was  killed  in  the  engagement.  "  At  his  burial  it  was 
found  that  he  had  been  shot  while  in  the  act  of  firing,  as 
a  ball  and  several  buck-shot  had  entered  the  right  arm-pit 
without  injuring  the  arm."  Putman  and  the  Canadian 
secreted  themselves  in  the  early  part  of  the  engagement 
under  a  fallen  tree,  and  escaped  discovery,  although 
several  Indians  leaped  over  the  log  when  pursuing 
Murphy. 

From  these  survivors  General  Sullivan  learned  the 
fate  of  the  detachment.  He  was  greatly  moved  by  the 
recital,  but  condemned  in  strong  terms  the  course  pur- 
sued by  Boyd  in  exceeding  his  orders.  General  Hand 


158  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign. 

was  immediately  ordered  to  hurry  forward  with  his 
brigade  to  the  relief  of  Boyd,  but  the  succor  came 
too  late.  The  troops  found  the  bodies  of  a  portion  of 
those  slain  on  the  field  of  action,  as  well  as  the  body  of 
an  Indian,  accidentally  left  by  the  retreating  foe,  and  a 
large  quantity  of  blankets,  provisions,  and  other  articles, 
but  the  foe  had  vanished  after  completing  their  mur- 
derous work.  Thinking  it  would  be  useless  to  pursue 
them,  he  returned  to  the  army,  after  burying  in  One 
grave*  six  of  those  who  had  fallen  in  the  skirmish. 
Subsequently,  the  bodies  of  the  others  which  were  scat- 
tered through  the  woods  were  buried  in  another  grave 
near  the  first  one. 

From  the  battle-field  Boyd  and  Parker  were  con- 
ducted to  Little  Beard's  Town,  where  they  were  ushered 
into  the  presence  of  Colonel  Butler.  Previous  to  this 
Boyd  had  asked  for  an  interview  with  Brant,  and  hav- 
ing by  certain  masonic  signs  made  known  to  the  latter 
that  they  were  of  a  common  brotherhood,  Brant's  stern 
brow  relaxed,  and  he  assured  the  prisoners  that  their 
lives  should  be  spared.  Soon  after  this,  however,  the 
chief  was  called  away,  and  the  prisoners  were  left  to  the 
mercy  of  the  Indians.f  Brought  before  Butler,  that 


*  The  ambuscade  occurred  on  the  farm  in  the  town  of  Groveland  now 
owned  by  the  widow  of  James  Boyd,  who,  although  bearing  the  same  name, 
was  no  kin  of  the  unfortunate  lieutenant.  The  slain  soldiers  were  buried  in 
what  is  now  a  small  field  just  below  the  graveyard,  and  a  few  rods  south  of 
the  road  leading  to  the  lake.  For  many  years  the  site  of  the  graves  was 
marked  by  a  deep  depression,  where  the  earth  had  sunk,  and  residents  of  the 
vicinity  still  identify  it.  The  Indian  trail  leading  to  Conesus  lake  was  used 
for  many  years  as  a  private  roadway.  At  the  time  of  the  skirmish  this  ground 
was  covered  by  a  dense  forest,  but  this  has  largely  disappeared,  and  it  now 
commands  an  extensive  view  of  the  lake  and  the  sloping  hillsides  of  the  oppo- 
site shore. 

f  It  is  said,  with  how  much  of  truth  does  not  appear,  that  on  Brant's  depart- 
ure the  Indians  cut  the  sinews  of  the  prisoners'  feet,  and  forced  them  to  pursue 
their  painful  march  to  Little  Beard's  Town  in  this  maimed  condition. 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign.  159 

officer  sought  to  obtain  some  information  from  them 
concerning  General  Sullivan's  purposes.  The  prisoners 
were  caused  to  kneel  before  him,  with  a  savage  grasp- 
ing either  arm,  and  a  third  at  their  backs  with  uplifted 
tomahawk,  and  in  this  situation  they  were  plied  with 
questions.*  But  they  refused  to  impart  any  informa- 
tion. Relying  on  the  assurance  which  Brant  had  given 
them,  and  scorning  in  any  event  to  betray  their  com- 
rades and  the  cause  of  the  Colonies,  they  met  their 
questioner  only  with  defiance.  Butler  threatened,  but 
they  still  remained  firm.  "  What  is  the  number  of  Sulli- 
van's army?"  asked  the  British  officer.  "I  shall  not 
answer  the  question,"  was  Boyd's  reply.  "Boyd,"  said 
Butler,  "  life  is  sweet,  and  you  are  yet  a  young  man ; 
there  is  no  possibility  of  your  escape,  and  you  have 
only  one  alternative ;  either  answer  my  questions  or 
you  must  die."  "  Colonel  Butler,"  replied  the  daunt- 
less young  officer,  notwithstanding  the  tomahawk  still 
gleamed  above  his  head,  "I  am  in  your  hands;  do  with 
me  as  you  see  fit.  I  know  your  power  and  your  will  to 
put  me  to  the  severest  torture,  but  you  cannot  shake 
my  determination  to  refuse  to  answer  your  questions." 
"  Your  death  be  upon  your  own  head,  then.  Take  him 
awayV'f  exclaimed  the  angry  officer,  and  the  Indians, 

*  While  giving  here  this  account  of  Butler's  interview  with  the  prisoners,  the 
author  does  not  vouch  for  its  entire  truthfulness.  It  is  doubtless,  however, 
substantially  correct. 

f  Some  doubt  exists  as  to  whether  this  Butler  was  Colonel  John  Butler,  or 
his  more  infamous  son  Walter.  The  former,  it  is  said,  was  inclined  to  miti- 
gate the  rigors  of  the  war,  but  the  son  rivalled  even  the  savages  themselves 
in  barbaric  cruelty.  Considering  the  opposite  character  of  the  two  men  it  is 
more  than  probable  that  Walter  Butler  was  the  one  guilty  of  inciting  the 
Indians  to  the  torture  of  Boyd.  Colonel  Stone  and  others  take  this  view,  but 
at  the  best,  it  is  only  a  surmise,  based  on  the  divergent  characteristics  of  the 
two  Butlers,  father  and  son.  Colonel  Butler,  in  his  official  report,  stated  that 
Boyd  was  sent  forward  with  a  guard  to  Niagara,  but  while  passing  through 
Little  Beard's  Town,  an  old  Indian  rushed  out  and  tomahawked  him. 


160  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign. 

who  were  ready  enough  to  wreak  their  vengeance  on 
the  prisoners,  seized  them,  and  under  the  leadership  of 
Little  Beard,  who  was  distinguished  for  his  vindictive 
cruelty,  and  diabolical  ingenuity  in  torturing  prisoners, 
they  were  borne  away  to  the  place  of  torture.  Here 
they  were  stripped  of  their  clothing,  and  being  bound 
to  trees,  the  savages  commenced  their  horrid  work. 
Little  Beard  raised  his  blood-stained  hatchet,  and  sent  it 
with  unerring  aim  into  the  tree  just  above  Boyd's  head. 
The  other  warriors  now  imitated  his  example,  and  with 
terrific  yells  and  frantic  demonstrations  of  joy  they 
danced  about  the  hapless  victims,  hurling  at  them  their 
tomahawks,  and  brandishing  their  knives  in  their  faces. 
They  then  pulled  out  Boyd's  nails,  cut  off  his  nose  and 
ears,  enlarged  his  mouth  with  a  knife  and  thrust  into  it 
the  severed  nose,  cut  out  his  tongue,  forced  out  one  of 
his  eyes,  and  stabbed  him  in  several  places.  As  if  this 
were  not  enough  they  now  unbound  him  from  the  tree, 
and  making  a  small  incision  in  his  abdomen  a  severed 
intestine  was  fastened  to  the  tree.  Then  by  sheer  brute 
force  he  was  driven  around  the  tree  until  his  entrails 
were  literally  wound  upon  its  trunk.*  His  head  was 
then  cut  off  and  placed  upon  a  pole.  Parker  was  simply 
beheaded,  owing,  probably  to  the  haste  of  the  Indians  in 
fleeing  from  the  town. 

The  cruelty  shown  in  the  torture  of  Boyd  is  almost 
unparalleled   in  the  history  of  the  border.     Its  unusual 

*  Recently  this  story  of  Boyd's  disembowelment  has  been  questioned,  but 
it  seems  to  be  well  substantiated,  Mary  Jemison,  who  was  then  living  at 
Little  Beard's  Town,  states  the  facts  substantially  as  they  are  given  in  the 
text,  and  Major  Van  Campen,  a  member  of  the  expedition  and  an  intimate 
acquaintance  of  Boyd,  corroborates  the  story.  Moreover,  General  Sullivan,  in 
his  official  report,  after  describing  the  manner  in  which  Boyd's  body  was  muti- 
lated, says,  "and  inflicted  other  tortures  which  decency  will  not  permit  me  to 
mention."  It  is  said  that  some  years  afterward,  when  Horatio  Jones  visited 
the  scene  of  this  cruelty  he  found  the  intestines  of  the  unfortunate  Boyd  still 
wound  about  the  tree. 


History  of  Sullivan's  Campaign.  161 

severity  can  be  explained  only  by  supposing  that  the 
Indians,  powerless  to  oppose  Sullivan's  progress,  and 
forced  to  see  him  day  after  day  laying  waste  their  vil- 
lages and  driving  their  homeless  women  and  children 
into  the  forest,  were  frenzied  with  rage  and  vindictive 
hate,  which  they  vented  on  the  first  prisoners  to  fall  into 
their*  hands.  But  this  theory  would  still  leave  unex- 
plained the  heartless  cruelty  which  prompted  Butler  to 
deliver  the  prisoners  to  the  exasperated  savages.  He 
could  have  been  moved  only  by  partisan  hate  and  vin- 
dictiveness  which  serve  to  show  his  desperate  character. 
Well  merited  was  his  fate  when  two  years  later,  while 
engaged  in  a  raid  on  the  settlers  of  the  Mohawk  valley, 
he  was  tomahawked  and  scalped  by  an  Oneida  warrior, 
regardless  of  his  supplications  for  mercy. 

Having  concluded  their  fiendish  work  of  torturing 
and  murdering  Boyd  and  Parker,  the  Indians  and  their 
British  allies  held  a  council  to  decide  whether  to  offer 
further  opposition  to  Sullivan's  advance-,  or  to  retire  and 
leave  the  last  Indian  stronghold  .and  the  vast  fields  of 
corn  surrounding  it  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy. 
There  is  reason  to  believe  that  Colonel  Butler  desired 
to  make  a  stand  at  this  point,  but  the  Indians  would  not 
hearken  to  it.*  The  women  and  children  were  accord- 
ingly started  on  their  pilgrimage  to  Niagara,  while  the 
warriors  lingered  in  the  vicinity  to  watch  the  destruc- 
tion of  their  possessions. 


*  While  Sullivan  was  at  Genesee,  a  female  captive  from  Wyoming  was 
re-taken.  She  gave  a  deplorable  account  of  the  terror  and  confusion  of  the 
Indians.  The  women,  she  said,  were  constantly  begging  the  warriors  to  sue 
for  peace ;  and  one  of  the  Indians,  she  stated,  had  attempted  to  shoot  Colonel 
Johnson  for  the  falsehoods  by  which  he  had  deceived  and  ruined  them.  She 
overheard  Butler  tell  Johnson  that  after  the  battle  of  Newtown  it  was 
impossible  to  keep  the  Indians  together,  and  that  he  thought  they  would  soon 
be  in  a  miserable  situation,  as  all  their  crops  would  be  destroyed,  and  they 
could  not  be  supplied  at  Niagara. — Life  of  Brant. 


1 62  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign. 

It  has  already  been  stated  that  when  General  Sullivan 
learned  of  the  attack  on  Boyd's  detachment  he  des- 
patched Hand's  light  corps  to  the  rescue.  On  his 
return  the  whole  army  was  ordered  to  move  forward. 
The  bridge  over  the  inlet,  now  completed,  was  guarded 
by  the  artillery,  while  the  troops  moved  across,  and  as 
General  Sullivan  and  his  staff  passed  over  they 'were 
saluted  by  the  enthusiastic  soldiers.  On  reaching  the 
hill  on  the  west  side  of  Conesus  lake,  the  army  followed 
the  trail*  previously  traversed  by  Boyd  and  his  party, 
and  before  dusk  reached  the  village  where  that  ill-fated 
officer  had  passed  the  previous  night. 

Here  the  Indians  were  gathered  in  considerable  force, 
and  their  position  was  such  as  to  indicate  that  they  in- 
tended to  offer  fight.  Accordingly  Maxwell's  brigade 
and  the  left  flank  were  ordered  to  turn  the  enemy's 
right,  while  Poor's  brigade,  the  right  flanking  division 
and  two  of  Clinton's  regiments  were  directed  to  move 
against  the  enemy's  left,  while  the  rest  of  Clinton's  brig- 
ade and  the  infantry  .occupied  the  center.  Seeing  this 
disposition  of  the  troops,  and  that  they  were  in  danger 
of  being  surrounded,  the  Indians  fled  precipitately  across 
the  Canaseraga.  The  army  then  encamped  for  the  night, 
but  at  half  past  three  on  the  following  morning  the  sig- 
nal gun  was  fired,  the  whole  army  was  formed  in  line  of 
battle,  and  the  men  lay  on  their  arms  until  daybreak, 
expecting  every  moment  to  be  attacked  by  the  enemy. 


*  The  trail  through  Groveland  ran  nearly  directly  west  from  the  Jas.  Boyd 
farm,  past  the  stone  dwelling  of  the  late  Abram  Harrison,  following  the  present 
road  running  just  south  of  Edward  Logan's  residence,  and  leaving  the  road 
where  it  turns  to  the  south  to  follow  the  ravine,  continued  in  nearly  a  straight 
line  to  the  Hermitage,  now  owned  by  W.  D.  Fitzhugh,  where  the  Indian 
village  was  located. 


CHAPTER   X. 

MARCH   TO   CHINESEE   CASTLE. 

AT  six  o'clock  on  the  morning  ot  the  i/jth  of  September, 
large  detachments  were  ordered  to  destroy  the  ex- 
tensive fields  of  corn  in  the  vicinity  of  the  village.  The 
huts  were  also  fired,  and  the  work  of  destruction  here, 
as  elsewhere,  was  rendered  complete.  General  Sullivan 
expected  to  find  the  great  Chinesee  castle  within  two 
miles  of  the  Canaseraga  village,  on  this  side  of  the  river, 
but  parties  sent  out  to  reconnoitre  reported  that  it  was 
six  miles  from  here,  and  on  the  other  side  of  the  river. 
Accordingly,  at  eleven  o'clock  A.  M.,  the  army  was  or- 
dered to  cross  over  to  the  west  side  of  the  Genesee. 

The  army  crossed  the  Canaseraga  at  the  fording  place 
just  below  the  mouth  of  Coshaqua  creek,  which  empties 
into  it,  and  passing  through  a  small  grove,  entered  on 
the  flat  beyond,  which  excited  the  wonder  and  admira- 
tion of  the  entire  force.  The  broad  plain  permitted  the 
army  to  form  in  the  regular  order  of  march,  and  "  the 
army,  as  it  emerged  from  the  woods,  and  as  company 
after  company  filed  off  and  formed  upon  the  plain,  pre- 
sented a  highly  animating  and  imposing  spectacle." 
Colonel  Hubley  says  in  his  journal  that  this  plain 
contained  "  not  less  than  six  thousand  acres  of  the 
richest  soil  that  can  be  conceived,  not  having  a  bush 
standing,  but  filled  with  grass  considerably  higher  than 
a  man.  We  moved  up  this  plain  for  about  three  miles, 
in  our  regular  line  of  march,  a  beautiful  sight,  indeed, 
as  a  view  of  the  whole  could  be  had  at  one  look."  The 
army  proceeded  across  these  flats  to  the  fording  place 
of  the  Genesee,  within  less  than  a  mile  of  the  present 


164  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign. 

village  of  Mount  Morris,  and  ascended  the  rising  ground 
beyond,  "  which  afforded  a  prospect  so  beautiful  that  to 
attempt  a  comparison  would  be  doing  injury,  as  we  had 
a  view  as  far  as  the  eye  could  carry  us  of  another  plain 
besides  the  one  we  crossed,  through  which  the  river 
formed  a  most  graceful  winding,  and,  at  intervals,  cat- 
aracts, which  rolled  from  the  rocks  and  emptied  into  the 
river."  From  this  point  the  troops  proceeded  northerly 
over  somewhat  rougher  ground,  and  soon  reached  the 
famed  "  Chinesee  castle,"  or  Little  Beard's  Town,  on  the 
site  of  the  present  village  of  Cuylerville.  The  fires  were 
still  burning  in  some  of  the  huts,  and  in  the  woods  to 
the  westward,  though  the  soldiers  were  unaware  of  the 
fact,  many  of  the  warriors  were  still  lurking  to  watch 
their  movements.  In  approaching  Little  Beard's  Town, 
a  private  soldier*  who  was  on  the  extreme  right,  as  his 
detachment  wheeled  sharply  about  to  enter  the  village, 
stumbled  on  the  remains  of  Boyd  and  Parker.  The 
blood  was  said  to  be  still  oozing  from  the  headless 
trunks.  The  bodies  were  fully  identified,  and  were 
placed  in  charge  of  the  rifle  company  of  Captain 
Michael  Simpson,  of  Major  Parr's  corps,  to  which  both 
Boyd  and  Parker  belonged.  They  were;  buried  that 
evening  with  military  honors,  by  their  sorrowing  com- 
panions, under  a  clump  of  wild  plum  trees,  at  the 
junction  of  two  small  streams  f  which  form  what  is 
known  as  Beard's  creek.  Quite  a  large  mound  still 
marks  the  spot,  close  by  the  bridge  across  the  creek,  on 
the  road  from  Cuylerville  to  Geneseo. 

In  1841  the  remains  of  Boyd  and  Parker  were  taken 
from  this  grave  with  great  pomp  and  ceremony,  and 
conveyed  to  Rochester,  where  they  now  rest  in  the 

*  Paul  Sanborn,  afterward  one  of  the  first  settlers  in  the  town  of  Conesus. 
Livingston  county. 

f  Named  Boyd's  creek  and  Parker's  creek  in  1841. 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign,  165 

beautiful  cemetery  on  Mount  Hope.  The  ceremonies 
of  this  occasion  drew  a  vast  crowd  of  people.  For 
some  time  the  question  of  their  removal  had  been  dis- 
cussed. The  citizens  of  Rochester,  who  had  named  a 
beautiful  spot  in  their  cemetery,  "  Revolutionary  Hill," 
and  designed  it  as  the  burial  place  of  all  soldiers  dying 
in  Western  New  York,  asked  that  the  remains  of  the 
soldiers  of  Boyd's  detachment  might  be  buried  there. 
The  request  met  with  some  opposition,  but  at  a  meeting 
held  in  Geneseo,  August  I4th,  1841,  the  people  of  Liv- 
ingston County  consented  to  such  removal.  Accordingly 
a  committee  appointed  for  the  purpose,  obtained  the 
bones  of  those  buried  in  Groveland,  and  also  exhumed 
the  remains  of  Boyd  and  Parker,  near  Cuylerville,  and 
on  the  2oth  of  August  they  were  formally  delivered  to 
the  Rochester  authorities  at  Cuylerville.  The  Roches- 
ter delegation,  consisting  of  the  military  and  civic  or- 
ganizations, municipal  authorities,  and  many  private 
citizens,  reached  the  scene  of  the  ceremonies  in  a  flotilla 
of  five  canal  boats. 

In  a  beautiful  grove  near  the  village,  whither  the  re- 
mains of  the  brave  dead  had  been  borne  with  measured 
tread  and  muffled  drums,  an  eloquent  address  was  de- 
livered by  Judge  Samuel  Treat,  and  the  remains  were 
formally  delivered  to  the  Rochester  authorities.  The 
next  day  they  were  consigned  to  their  resting  place  in 
Mount  Hope,  Governor  Seward  and  his  staff,  and  other 
distinguished  citizens  participating  in  the  ceremonies. 
"  Though  these  rites  evince  the  reverence  in  which  the 
patriot  dead  were  held,  yet  a  just  feeling  would  dictate 
that  their  remains  should  have  been  allowed  to  sleep, 
uncoffined,  in  the  rude  graves  beneath  the  sod,  moistened 
by  their  life-blood,  where  they  had  been  placed  two- 
thirds  of  a  century  before.  And  respect  for  their  remains 
demands  that  they  should  yet  be  brought  back  and  re- 


1 66  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign. 

interred  in  the  spot  made  doubly  interesting  from  being 
the  extremest  point  westward  at  which  fighting  took 
place  in  New  York  during  the  Revolutionary  war."* 

On  Wednesday,  August  I5th,  the  day  following  the 
arrival  of  the  troops  at  Little  Beard's  Town,  the  work 
of  destruction  was  continued.  The  crops  here,  one 
officer  says,  "  were  in  quantity  immense,  and  in  goodness 
unequalled  by  anything  I  ever  saw.  Agreeable  to  a 
moderate  calculation,  there  was  not  less  than  two  hun- 
dred acres,  the  whole  of  which  was  pulled  up  and  piled  in 
large  heaps,  mixed  with  dry  wood  taken  from  the  houses, 
and  consumed  to  ashes."  Immense  orchards  were  also 
found  here,  one,  it  is  said,  containing  1,500  trees,  besides 
large  crops  of  beans  and  potatoes.  These  were  all  de- 
stroyed, and,  by  the  middle  of  the  afternoon,  "the  work 
was  finished,  the  total  ruin  of  the  Indian  settlements  and 
the  destruction  of  their  crops  was  completed." 

While  this  work  was  in  progress  at  Little  Beard's 
Town,  General  Sullivan,  according  to  the  undisputed 
tradition  of  years,  sent  Generals  Poor  and  Maxwell  down 
the  river  to  Canawaugus,  which  place  they  destroyed, 
and  on  their  return  march,  likewise  burned  Big  Tree 
village.  General  Sullivan  makes  no  mention  of  this 
fact,  nor  is  the  destruction  of  Canawaugus  recorded  in 
any  of  the  numerous  journals  kept  by  officers  of  Sulli- 
van's army.  The  conclusion  is  irresistible  that  no  por- 
tion of  the  army  got  as  far  north  as  Canawaugus,  and  that 
that  village  escaped  the  general  destruction.  Big  Tree 
village,  it  is  sufficient  to  say,  had  no  existence  on  the 
Genesee  until  after  the  Revolution.  Chief  Big  Tree,  of 
the  Senecas,  after  whom  this  village  was  named,  and 
who,  it  will  be  remembered,  was  friendly  to  the  Ameri- 
cans, standing  on  an  eminence  near  Kanaghsavvs,  and 
seeing  his  own  possessions  destroyed,  some  one  said 

*  Doty's  History  of  Livingston  County. 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign.  167 

to  him,  "  You  see  how  the  Americans  treat  their  friends." 
"  What  I  see,"  he  responded,  "  is  only  the  common  for- 
tune of  war.  It  cannot  be  supposed  that  the  Americans 
can  distinguish  my  property  from  yours,  who  are  their 
enemies." 

It  was  estimated  by  officers  of  the  expedition  that  at 
least  20,000  bushels  of  corn  were  destroyed  in  and  about 
Little  Beard's  Town,  besides  vast  quantities  of  vegeta- 
bles. The  work  concluded,  General  Sullivan  issued  an 
order  wherein  he  said :  "  The  Commander-in-chief  in- 
forms this  brave  and  resolute  army  that  the  immediate 
objects  of  this  expedition  are  accomplished,  viz  :  total 
ruin  of  the  Indian  settlements  and  the  destruction  of 
their  crops,  which  were  designed  for  the  support  of 
those  inhuman  barbarians,  while  they  were  desolating 
the  American  frontiers.  He  is  by  no  means  insensible 
of  the  obligations  he  is  under  to  those  brave  officers  and 
soldiers  whose  virtue  and  fortitude  have  enabled  him  to 
complete  the  important  design  of  the  expedition,  and  he 
assures  them  he  will  not  fail  to  inform  America  at  large 
how  much  they  stand  indebted  to  them.  The  army  will 
this  day  commence  its  march  for  Tioga." 

Butler  and  his  rangers,  together  with  a  small  force  of 
British  regulars  who  had  been  sent  to  join  him,  contin- 
ued their  flight  westward  from  the  Genesee,  and  reached 
Fort  Niagara  on  the  i8th  of  September.  The  Indian 
women  and  children  also  flocked  thither,  "  and  as  the 
plain  far  and  near  became  covered  with  knots  of  fugi- 
tives, it  strikingly  resembled  the  diversified  landscape 
formed  by  groups  returning  from  an  English  fair."  The 
British  authorities,  finding  themselves  suddenly  burdened 
with  the  support  of  their  savage  allies,  provided  for 
them  temporary  homes  elsewhere.  The  Indians,  how- 
ever, expecting  that  the  Colonists  would  soon  be  subdued 
and  their  homes  again  restored  to  them,  refused  to  quit 


1 68  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign. 

the  Fort.  Here  their  sufferings  during  the  winter  were 
great.  The  supply  of  food  was  insufficient,  and  the 
winter  one  of  great  inclemency,  while  the  salted  food, 
to  which  they  were  not  accustomed,  caused  scurvy,  of 
which  hundreds  of  them  died.  A  few,  who  had  lingered 
in  the  forest  until  the  departure  of  the  army,  returned 
to  their  villages  on  the  Genesee,  but  a  cheerless  sight 
met  their  gaze.  Their  houses  were  smouldering  ashes, 
while  "  there  was  not  a  mouthful  of  any  kind  of  suste- 
nance left — not  even  enough  to  keep  a  child  one  day 
from  perishing  with  hunger."  Mary  Jemison,  who  was 
of  the  number  who  returned,  made  her  way  up  the  river 
to  the  Gardeau  Flats,  above  the  present  village  of  Mount 
Morris,  where  she  husked  corn  for  two  negroes,  and  thus 
earned  enough  to  support  herself  and  her  children.  She 
pictures  in  pathetic  language  the  sufferings  of  the  In- 
dians who,  with  her,  passed  the  winter  on  the  Genesee. 
The  snow  fell  five  feet  deep,  the  game  upon  which  they 
depended  for  subsistence  perished,  and  they  were  re- 
duced to  a  starving  condition.  Terrible,  indeed,  had 
been  the  vengeance  of  the  Americans !  Homeless  and 
hungry,  they  realized  now  the  full  force  of  the  blow  they 
had  received  at  the  hands  of  the  settlers.  Of  those  who 
went  to  Fort  Niagara,  few  returned  to  their  homes  east 
of  the  Genesee,  but  settled  west  of  the  river,  at  Squawkie 
Hill,  Little  Beard's  Town,  Canawaugus,  Buffalo  Creek, 
and  a,  few  smaller  villages. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

THE   RETURN    MARCH. 

OX  the  afternoon  of  Wednesday,  September  1 5th,  the 
army  having  completed  its  work  of  destruction  at 
Little  Beard's  Town,  set  out  upon  the  return  march. 
The  route  was  much  the  same  as  that  by  which  they  had 
come.  The  order  of  march  observed  was  as  follows  : 
An  advance  guard  of  one  hundred  men  in  front,  General 
Clinton's  brigade  following  in  four  columns,  the  other 
troops  marching  next ;  General  Hand's  brigade  brought 
up  the  rear,  with  the  two  field  pieces  in  the  rear  of  him, 
and  the  riflemen  in  the  rear  of  the  whole.  The  cohorn 
was  carried  by  the  advance  guard.  On  the  night  of  the 
1 5th  the  army  encamped  on  the  flats  northeast  of  Mount 
Morris,  near  the  Canaseraga  village.  The  march  was 
resumed  on  the  morning  of  the  i6th,  but  previous  to  the 
army's  reaching  Kanaghsaws,  detachments  were  sent  out 
to  search  the  woods  for  the  bodies  of  those  who  fell  in 
the  engagement  of  the  i3th.  Eight  were  found  and  were 
buried  with  military  honors  in  one  grave  near  that  of 
their  comrades  who  had  been  previously  interred.  The 
sight  was  a  shocking  one,  as  the  brave  fellows  had  all 
been  scalped,  tomahawked  and  most  inhumanly  mangled. 
The  army  reached  Kanaghsaws  at  six  o'clock  that  even- 
ing, having  marched  nine  miles.  At  six  o'clock  on  the 
morning  of  the  i/th  the  march  was  resumed,  and  Han- 
neyaye  was  reached  at  noon,  where  the  garrison,  which 
had  been  left  at  that  point,  was  found  safe.  This  was 
the  cause  of  great  satisfaction,  since  it  was  feared  that 


170  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign. 

the  enemy,  perhaps  learning  from  Boyd  and  Parker  that 
a  garrison  had  been  left  here,  had  made  an  attack  on  it. 

Before  leaving  Hanneyaye  on  the  i8th,  orders  were 
given  to  the  rear  to  kill  all  such  horses  as  were  unable 
to  move  along,  lest  they  should  fall  into  the  hands  of  the 
enemy.  Some  of  the  horses  left  at  this  post  had  strayed 
so  far  that  they  could  not  be  found.  Consequently  many 
packs  would  have  been  left  behind  had  not  the  officers 
who  were  entitled  to  ride  given  up  their  horses.  It  is 
said  that  General  Sullivan  was  one  of  those  who  thus 
relinquished  their  horses.  Here  also,  one  officer  writes, 
General  Sullivan  was  met  by  three  Oneida  Indians  who 
brought  him  despatches.  They  reported  that  the  city  of 
New  York  was  laid  in  ashes  and  evacuated.  Canandai- 
gua  lake  was  reached  before  night,  and  passing  the 
outlet  the  army  encamped  about  a  mile  beyond  it.  On 
the  iQth  the  march  was  resumed,  and  a  little  before  sun- 
set the  army  arrived  at  Kanadesaga.  Here  the  Oneidas, 
whom  General  Sullivan  had  sent  with  a  letter  to  their 
tribe,  as  has  been  previously  noted,  met  the  Commander- 
in-chief  and  gave  to  him  their  answer. 

On  the  morning  of  the  2Oth  of  September,  Colonel 
Smith  was  sent  with  a  party  up  the  west  side  of  Seneca 
lake,  to  destroy  the  corn  which  had  been  cut  down,  and 
whatever  else  belonging  to  the  Indians  he  might  dis- 
cover. Colonel  William  Butler,  of  the  4th  Pennsylvania 
regiment,  was  also  detached  with  the  rifle  corps  and  five 
hundred  men  to  destroy  the  Cayuga  Indian  settlements 
on  the  east  side  of  Cayuga  lake,  and  with  him  were 
sent  all  the  Oneida  warriors  (a  few  having  just  joined  the 
army),  who  had  assured  Sullivan  that  if  they  could  find 
the  Cayugas  they  would  endeavor  to  persuade  them  to 
deliver  themselves  up  as  prisoners,  "the  chief  of  them, 
called  Segathlawana,  being  a  near  relative  to  the  sachem 
who  was  with  Sullivan." 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign. 


171 


The  reader  will  recall  the  fact  that  the  Oneidas  had 
already  interceded  for  these  Cayugas,  and  this  action 
on  their  part  was  a  further  effort  to  save  the  Cayugas 
from  punishment. 

A  third  detachment  of  one  hundred  men  under  Colonel 
Gansevoort,  was  on  the  same  day  despatched  to  Albany 
to  forward  the  baggage  of  the  New  York  regiments  to 
the  main  army,  together  with  such  soldiers  as  he  might 
find  at  that  place.  A  misapprehension  of  certain  facts 
by  General  Sullivan  led  to  an  unfortunate  occurrence  in 


FJCABUSON,  CNOR. 


connection  with  this  detachment.  When,  at  the  out- 
break of  the  war,  the  great  body  of  the  Mohawks  fol- 
lowed the  retreat  of  the  Johnsons  to  Canada,  those  at 
the  lower  castle  on  the  Mohawk  river  remained  behind 
and  continued  to  occupy  their  village.  They  lived 
quietly  and  peaceably,  tilling  their  fields  or  following 
the  chase  for  a  livelihood,  and  living  on  the  best  of  terms 
with  their  white  neighbors.  But  General  Sullivan  was 
in  some  manner  led  to  believe  that  they  were  giving  aid 
and  comfort  to  the  enemy,  and  accordingly  he  ordered 


NOTK. — The  engraving  on  this  page  represents  a  pair  of  huge  bullet  moulds, 
an  axe  and  a  scalping  knife,  found  near  Conesus,  and  undoubtedly  relics  of 
Sullivan's  march.  The  knife  was  the  property  of  James  Boyd,  the  owner  of 
the  farm  where  the  ambuscade  occurred. 


172  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign. 

Colonel  Gansevoort  to  destroy  the  lower  Mohawk  castle 
on  his  way  down,  and  capture  the  inhabitants,  consisting 
of  only  six  or  seven  families.  These,  Sullivan  said  in 
his  official  report,  "were  constantly  employed  in  giving 
intelligence  to  the  enemy,  and  in  supporting  their  scout- 
ing parties  when  making  incursions  on  our  frontiers. 
When  the  Mohawks  joined  the  enemy  those  few  families 
were  undoubtedly  left  to  answer  those  purposes,  and  to 
keep  possession  of  their  lands."  Colonel  Gansevoort 
was  ordered  to  proceed  with  those  whom  he  should 
capture  in  this  village  to  the  headquarters  of  the  Ameri- 
can army,  and  was  explicitly  forbidden  to  leave  any  of 
the  prisoners  at  Albany.  Sullivan  directed  that  the 
inhabitants  of  the  upper  castle,  who  were,  as  he  said, 
Onheskas  and  friends,  should  not  be  disturbed,  but  should 
be  shown  such  necessary  marks  ot  civility  and  attention 
as  might  engage  a  continuance  of  their  friendship  and 
give  evidence  of  our  pacific  disposition  towards  them. 
Colonel  Gansevoort  proceeded  on  his  march  as  direct- 
ed, and  on  the  25th  of  September  reached  Fort  Schuyler. 
His  route  lay  through  the  Oneida  and  Tuscarora  castles, 
where  he  was  received  with  every  mark  of  hospitality 
and  friendship,  and  he  found  that  "  not  the  least  damage 
nor  insult  was  offered  any  of  the  inhabitants."  After 
resting  at  Fort  Schuyler  the  detachment  moved  on,  and 
on  the  29th  surprised  the  lower  Mohawk  castle  and  cap- 
tured every  Indian.  Colonel  Gansevoort's  official  report 
of  his  proceedings,  made  to  General  Sullivan  under  date 
of  Albany,  October  8th,  1779,  says  that  the  Indians  occu- 
pied but  four  houses.  "  I  was  preparing,"  he  says, 
"  agreeable  to  my  orders,  to  destroy  them,  but  was  inter- 
"  rupted  by  the  inhabitants  of  the  frontiers,  who  have 
"  been  lately  driven  from  their  settlements  by  the 
"  savages,  praying  that  they  might  have  liberty  to  enter 
"  into  the  Mohawk's  houses,  until  they  could  procure 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign.  173 

"  other  habitations ;  and  well  knowing  those  persons  to 
"  have  lately  lost  their  all,  humanity  tempted  me  in  this 
"  particular  to  act  in  some  degree  contrary  to  orders, 
"  although  I  could  not  but  be  confident  of  your  approba- 
"  tion,  especially  when  you  are  informed  that  this  castle 
"  is  in  the  heart  of  our  settlements,  and  abounding  in 
"  every  necessary,  so  that  it  is  remarked  that  these  In- 
"  dians  live  much  better  than  most  of  the  Mohawk  river 
"  farmers.  Their  houses  were  very  well  furnished  with 
"  all  necessary  household  utensils,  great  plenty  of  grain, 
"  several  horses,  cows  and  wagons,  of  all  which  I  have 
"  an  inventory,  leaving  them  in  the  care  of  Major  New- 
"  kirk,  of  that  place,  who  distributed  the  refugees  in  the 
"  several  houses.  Such  being  the  situation,  I  did  not 
"  allow  the  party  to  plunder  at  all.  The  prisoners 
"  arrived  at  Albany  on  the  2d  instant,  and  were  closely 
"  secured  in  the  fort.  Yesterday,  the  /th,  I  received  a 
"  letter  from  General  Schuyler,  (of  which  I  enclose  a 
"  copy),  respecting  the  prisoners,  desiring  that  the  send- 
"  ing  of  the  prisoners  down  might  be  postponed  until  an 
"  express  shall  arrive  from  General  Washington.  Agree- 
"  ably  to  this  request,  a  sergeant  and  twelve  men  are 
"  detained  to  keep  charge  of  the  prisoners  until  his 
"  pleasure  is  known." 

General  Schuyler  was  at  this  time  at  the  head  of  the 
Indian  Commission,  Northern  Department,  and  thus  in- 
terposed in  behalf  of  these  Indians  because  he  believed 
they  had  been  unjustly  treated.  In  his  letter  to  Colonel 
Gansevoort,  referred  to  by  the  latter  in  the  above  extract, 
he  says  :  "  Having  perused  Gen.  Sullivan's  orders  to  you 
"  respecting  the  Indians  of  the  lower  Mohawk  castle  and 
"  their  property,  I  conceive  they  are  founded  on  misin- 
"  formation  given  to  that  gentleman ;  these  Indians  have 
"  peacefully  remained  there  under  the  sanction  of  the 
"  public  faith  repeatedly  given  them  by  the  commis- 


174  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign. 

"  sioners  of  Indian  affairs,  on  condition  of  peaceable 
"  demeanor ;  this  contract  they  have  not  violated  to  our 
"  knowledge.  It  is  therefore  incumbent  on  us,  as  ser- 
"  vants  of  the  public,  to  keep  the  public  faith  inviolate  ; 
"  and  we  therefore  entreat  you  to  postpone  the  sending 
"  of  the  Indians  from  hence  until  the  pleasure  of  his  Ex- 
"  cellency,  General  Washington,  can  be  obtained,  and  a 
<l  letter  is  already  despatched  to  him  on  the  occasion,  and 
*'  in  which  we  have  mentioned  this  application  to  you." 

The  result  of  this  interposition  in  behalf  of  the  Indians 
was  that  they  were  speedily  released,  and  General  Wash- 
ington directed  the  Indian  commissioners  to  "  lay  them 
under  such  obligations  for  their  future  good  behavior  as 
they  should  think  necessary."  No  measure  of  blame 
was  attached  to  General  Sullivan,  for  his  course  in  the 
matter,  as  it  was  clear  that  he  had  been  misinformed, 
and  had  acted  under  a  misapprehension  of  the  facts  in 
the  case. 

Before  General  Sullivan  moved  from  Kanadesaga,  he 
sent  out  still  another  detachment  of  two  hundred  men 
under  the  command  of  Lieut.-Colonel  Henry  Dearborn, 
of  the  3d  New  Hampshire  regiment,  to  the  west  side  of 
Cayuga  lake,  to  destroy  all  the  settlements  that  might 
be  found  there,  and  to  intercept  the  Cayugas  if  they 
attempted  to  escape  from  Colonel  Butler.  Thus  there 
were  instituted  four  minor  expeditions  from  the  main 
army,  against  as  many  different  points  in  the  enemy's 
country :  Colonel  Gansevoort  against  the  lower  Mo- 
hawk village,  Colonel  Smith  up  the  west  side  of  Seneca 
lake,  Colonel  Butler  along  the  east  side  of  Cayuga  lake, 
from  the  foot  to  the  head,  and  Lieut.-Colonel  Dearborn 
up  the  west  side  of  the  latter  lake.  Having  sent  out 
these  detachments,  Sullivan  broke  camp  on  the  morning 
of  the  22d,  and  continued  his  march  southward,  expect- 
ing that  the  detached  troops  would  rejoin  him  near 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign.  175 

Newtown.  Passing  over  the  old  route  by  which  it 
had  come,  night  found  the  army  within  seven  miles  of 
Catharinestown.  The  march  was  resumed  the  next 
morning  and  continued  to  a  point  about  four  miles 
southeast  of  Catharinestown,  when  the  army  encamped 
on  the  edge  of  the  swamp.  The  soldiers  had  not  for- 
gotten the  terrible  night  many  of  them  had  passed  in 
this  swamp,  and  they  had  looked  forward  with  dread  to 
the  return  passage  through  its  morasses.  However,  the 
army  got  through  without  any  difficulty,  and  arrived  at 
the  forks  of  Newtown  on  the  24th.  Here  Sullivan  met 
Captain  Reid,  with  a  detachment  of  two  hundred  men, 
who  had  been  sent  forward  with  some  stores  and  cattle 
from  Tioga.  He  had  thrown  up  breastworks,  and  when 
the  army  arrived  it  was  saluted  by  a  round  of  thirteen 
guns  from  the  breastworks,  which  Sullivan's  men  re- 
turned with  their  artillery.  The  army  was  now  allowed 
full  rations  again,  having  cheerfully  submitted  to  short 
allowance  for  nearly  a  month. 

From  this  point  Colonel  Spaulding  was  se'nt  up  the 
Chemung  with  a  strong  detachment,  who  in  two  days 
destroyed  Painted  Post,,  and  another  small  Indian  vil- 
lage called  Knacto,  twelve  miles  above  Elmira,  besides 
extensive  fields  of  corn.  At  the  same  time  Colonel 
Dayton  was  sent  down  the  river  to  destroy  whatever 
had  escaped  the  notice  of  the  army  in  its  northern 
march. 

On  the  morning  of  the  25th  the  small  arms  of  the 
whole  army  were  discharged,  and  at  five  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon  the  men  were  drawn  up  in  line,  with  a  field 
piece  on  the  right  of  each  brigade,  for  the  purpose  of 
firing  a  feu  de  joie.  First  thirteen  rounds  of  cannon 
were  fired,  and  then  a  running  fire  of  musketry  from 
right  to  left ;  this  was  repeated  twice.  Five  oxen  were 
then  killed,  one  delivered  to  each  brigade  and  one  to 


176  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign. 

the  artillery  and  the  staff  officers,  together  with  five 
gallons  of  whiskey,  and  a  joyous  feast  followed,  com- 
memorating not  only  the  safe  return  of  the  army  from 
its  weary  and  dangerous  march,  but  also  "  the  accession 
of  the  King  of  Spain  to  the  American  alliance,  and  the 
generous  proceedings  of  Congress  in  augmenting  the 
subsistence  of  the  officers  and  men."  Thirteen  toasts 
were  drank,  to  Congress,  the  Spanish  King  and  others, 
and  lastly  the  following  :  "  May  the  enemies  of  America 
be  metamorphosed  into  pack-horses,  and  sent  on  a  west- 
ern expedition  against  the  Indians." 

Colonel  Dearborn,  on  leaving  the  main  army  at  Kana- 
desaga,  proceeded  due  east  eight  miles,  and  found  in  the 
woods  three  huts,  with  small  patches  of  corn,  squashes, 
watermelons  and  cucumbers,  and  fifteen  horses,  which 
he  could  not  take  with  him.  This  village  is  believed  to 
have  been  on  the  farm  of  Thomas  Shankwiler,  in  the 
town  of  Fayette,  Seneca  county.  After  destroying  it. 
Dearborn  marched  east  four  miles  and  came  to  Skana- 
yutenate,  or  Skannautenates,  a  village  of  ten  houses, 
which  stood  about  a  mile  north  of  the  present  village  of 
Canoga.  About  a  mile  north  of  this  place  was  a  smaller 
village,  and  a  mile  south  of  it  was  a  third  settlement, 
which  Dearborn  called  Newtown  (recently  established), 
consisting  of  nine  houses.  These  were  all  destroyed 
September  2ist,  after  which  Dearborn  marched  south 
four  miles,  along  the  west  shore  of  Cayuga  lake,  de- 
stroying on  the  way  a  large  house  standing  alone,  and 
encamped  for  the  night.  On  the  morning  of  the  22d 
he  marched  before  sunrise,  and  proceeding  five  miles 
"  came  to  the  ruins  of  a  town  which  a  part  of  our  army 
burnt  when  it  was  advancing,  who  missed  their  way  and 
happened  to  fall  in  with  it."  Half  a  mile  beyond  this  a 
large  field  of  corn  and  three  houses  were  found.  The 
corn  was  gathered  and  burnt  in  the  houses.  This  place 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign.  177 

was  called  Swahyawana,  and  its  site  was  on  a  creek 
running  through  the  farm  of  Edward  Dean,  in  the 
north-east  corner  of  the  town  of  Romulus.  It  was 
nearly  opposite  the  present  village  of  Aurora,  and  com- 
manded a  fine  view  of  the  lake.  Five  miles  further  on 
a  hut  was  found,  with  three  squaws  and  a  young  Indian 
who  was  a  cripple.  Two  of  the  squaws  were  made 
prisoners.  Eight  miles  beyond  this  point  the  detach- 
ment encamped  for  the  night.  The  next  day's  march, 
although  over  a  route  "so  horribly  rough  and  bushy 
that  it  was  difficult  to  advance,"  brought  the  detachment 
to  the  head  of  the  lake.  On  the  morning  of  the  24th, 
after  a  march  of  three  miles  on  the  high  land,  small 
parties  were  sent  out  to  look  for  a  large  town  that 
Dearborn  had  been  informed  was  not  many  miles  from 
the  end  of  the  lake.  After  destroying  several  houses 
and  cornfields,  he  found  the  large  town  three  miles  from 
the  lake.  It  consisted  of  twenty-five  houses,  and  Dear- 
born named  it  Coreorgonell.*  It  was  two  miles  above 
the  present  village  of  Ithaca,  on  the  east  side  of  Cayuga 
inlet,  the  main  village  being  on  the  farm  now  owned  by 
James  Fleming. 

Colonel  Dearborn  expected  to  meet  Colonel  Butler  at 
this  point,  but  the  latter  detachment  did  not  reach  Core- 
orgonell until  the  next  day.  Without  waiting  for  him, 
Colonel  Dearborn  marched  on  the  morning  of  the  25th 
for  Catharinestown,  which  he  reached  at  four  o'clock  in 
the  afternoon.  On  the  26th  of  September  he  overtook 
the  army  at  Kanawlohalla,  (Elmira),  having  destroyed 
six  towns,  and  large  quantities  of  corn. 

On  the  28th  Colonel  Butler  also  rejoined  the  army, 
and  as  the  other  detachments  sent  out  had  also  returned, 
with  the  exception  of  Colonel  Gansevoort,  a  complete 


*  General  John  S.  Clark,  of  Auburn,  a  recognized  authority  on  such  points, 
fixes  the  site  of  this  town  as  given  in  the  text. 


178  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign. 

junction  was  thus  formed  at  Kanawlohalla,  on  the  2Qth 
day  after  the  battle  fought  at  that  place. 

Colonel  Butler's  march  up  the  east  side  of  Cayuga  lake 
resulted  in  the  destruction  of  much  Indian  property. 
He  left  Kanadesaga  on  the  2oth,  a'nd  following  the  Seneca 
outlet  for  eight  miles,  came  to  Scawyace,  which  had  been 
destroyed  by  Colonel  Harper  when  the  army  was 
advancing  northward.  Here  a  halt  was  made  until  the 
next  day,  when  a  force  of  two  hundred  men  under  Major 
Scott  was  detailed  to  destroy  the  crops  in  the  vicinity, 
while  the  main  body  under  Colonel  Butler  pressed  for- 
ward. Seven  miles  of  the  way  the  road  was  bad,  and  no 
water  could  be  procured.  A  swamp  where  there  was 
excellent  growing  timber,  was  then  reached.  A  march 
of  four  miles  then  brought  the  detachment  to  the  foot  of 
Cayuga  lake,  where  the  outlet  was  crossed,  the  men 
wading  in  water  waist  deep.  A  small  village  named 
Coharo,  was  destroyed  here,  and  a  halt  was  made  until 
Major  Scott  came  up,  when  the  march  was  resumed 
along  the  eastern  shore  of  the  lake,  through  a  level,  well 
watered  country,  heavily  timbered.  On  the  2ist,  the 
detachment  reached  Gewawga,  on  the  present  site  of 
Union  Springs.  Two  miles  south  of  this  point,  and  a 
mile  back  of  the  lake,  was  Cayuga  castle  containing  fif- 
teen very  large  houses  ;  two  miles  east  of  the  latter 
village  was  East  Cayuga  or  Old  Town,  containing  thir- 
teen houses,  and  on  the  south  side  of  Great  Gully  Brook, 
in  the  town  of  Ledyard,  was  Upper  Cayuga,  containing 
fourteen  houses.  In  these  villages  was  found  some  salt 
which  the  Indians  had  made.  Several  muskets  bearing 
the  brand  of  the  United  States  were  also  discovered  in 
the  houses,  and  a  few  regimental  coats,  of  blue  faced 
with  white.  Colonel  Butler  remained  here  until  the 
afternoon  of  the  23d,  destroying  the  houses  and  crops. 
He  then  marched  five  miles,  to  the  village  of  Conodate, 


History  of  Sullivan's  Campaign.  179 

(now  Aurora)",  where  were  found  about  fourteen  houses, 
and  a  peach  orchard  of  1 500  trees,  which  were  completely 
destroyed.  Encamping  on  the  night  of  the  24th  on  the 
hill  north  of  Ludlowville,  Colonel  Butler  reached  Core- 
orgonell  the  next  day,  where  he  expected  to  find  Colonel 
Dearborn,  but  his  detachment  had  destroyed  the  town 
and  marched  to  Catharinestown  the  day  previous. 
Colonel  Butler  took  a  more  south-westerly  course,  and 
came  to  the  route  of  the  main  army  at  Horseheads.  On 
the  28th  of  September  he  rejoined  the  army  at  Kanawlo- 
halla. 

On  the  2Qth  the  onward  march  south  was  commenced 
by  the  united  forces,  and  soon  after  noon  of  the  next  day 
Tioga  was  reached.  Here  the  army  was  saluted  by 
thirteen  guns  from  Fort  Sullivan,  a  compliment  that  was 
returned  by  the  artillery.  This  done  the  army  marched 
past  the  Fort  and  encamped  on  its  old  grounds  in  the 
forks  of  the  river.  On  the  evening  of  that  day  Colonel 
Shreves  gave  an  entertainment  which  we  are  told,  was 
as  grand  as  the  circumstances  of  the  place  would 
permit,  to  which  the  commander-in-chief,  the  generals 
and  staff  were  invited.  The  Fort  was  demolished  on 
the  3d  of  October,  and  the  army  proceeded  by  the  way 
of  Wyoming  to  Easton,  reaching  the  latter  place  on  the 
1 5th,  and  immediately  thereafter  the  troops  went  into 
winter  quarters. 

At  the  end  of  the  campaign  the  intelligence  of  its  suc- 
cess spread  rapidly  throughout  the  colonies,  and 
everywhere  caused  great  rejoicing.  The  inhabitants  of 
Northampton  County,  Pa.,  sent  an  address  to  General 
Sullivan,  congratulating  him  on  his  success,  and  thanking 
him  for  the  inestimable  service  he  had  rendered  the 
settlements  of  the  frontier.  The  troops  under  his  com- 
mand imitated  this  example,  and  other  military  and  civic 
organizations  took  occasion  to  express  their  appreciation 


i8o  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign. 

of  his  meritorious  services,  and  the  gratitude  they  felt  at 
the  successful  accomplishment  of  his  mission.  The 
addresses  from  the  several  bodies  of  troops  under  his 
command  were  especially  noticeable,  as  showing  the 
esteem  in  which  he  was  held  by  his  own  soldiers.  The 
Continental  Congress  also  promptly  recognized  General 
Sullivan's  services.  On  motion  of  Elbridge  Gerry  it 
was  resolved  that  its  thanks  "  be  given  to  his  Excellency 
General  Washington  for  directing,  and  to  Major  General 
Sullivan,  and  the  brave  officers  and  soldiers  under  his 
command,  for  effectually  executing  an  important  expedi- 
tion against  such  of  the  Indian  nations  as,  encouraged 
by  the  councils  and  conducted  by  the  officers  of  his 
Brittanic  Majesty,  have  perfidiously  waged  an  unpro- 
voked and  cruel  war  against  the  United  States,  laid  waste 
many  of  their  defenceless  towns,  and  with  savage 
barbarity,  slaughtered  the  inhabitants  thereof."  Con- 
gress also  resolved  that  "it  will  be  proper  to  set  apart 
the  second  Thursday  in  December  next,  as  a  day  of 
general  thanksgiving  in  these  United  States,  and  that  a 
committee  of  four  be  appointed  to  prepare  a  recom- 
mendation to  the  said  United  States,  for  this  purpose." 
Mr.  Root,  Mr.  Holton,  Mr.  Muhlenberg  and  Mr.  Morris 
were  named  as  this  committee,  and  in  the  address  which 
they  prepared  they  acknowledged  that  God  had  granted 
them  the  victory,  as  "  He  had  gone  out  with  those  who 
went  out  into  the  wilderness  against  the  savage  tribes." 
In  his  general  orders  of  the  i/th  of  October,  General 
Washington  announced  to  the  army  the  result  of  the 
expedition,  as  follows : 

"Headquarters,  More's  House,  Oct.  17,  1779. 

"  The  Commander-in-chief  has  now  the  pleasure  of 
"  congratulating  the  army  on  the  complete  and  full  suc- 
"  cess  of  Maj.  Gen.  Sullivan,  and  the  troops  under  his 
"  command,  against  the  Seneca  and  other  tribes  of  the 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign.  181 

"  Six  Nations,  as  a  just  and  necessary  punishment  for 
"  their  wanton  depredations,  their  unparalleled  and  in- 
"  numerable  cruelties,  their  deafness  to  all  remonstrances 
"  and  entreaty,  and  their  perseverance  in  the  most  horrid 
"  acts  of  barbarity.  Forty  of  their  towns  have  been  re- 
"  duced  to  ashes,  some  of  them  large  and  commodious  ; 
"  that  of  the  Genesee  alone  containing  one  hundred  and 
"  twenty-eight  houses.  Their  crops  of  corn  have  been 
"  entirely  destroyed,  which,  by  estimation,  it  is  said, 
"  would  have  provided  160,000  bushels,  besides  large 
'"  quantities  of  vegetables  of  various  kinds.  Their  whole 
"  country  has  been  overrun  and  laid  waste,  and  they 
"  themselves  compelled  to  place  their  security  in  a  pre- 
41  cipitate  flight  to  the  British  fortress  at  Niagara.  And 
"  the  whole  of  this  has  been  done  with  the  loss  of  less 
"  than  forty  men  on  our  part,  including  the  killed, 
"  wounded,  captured,  and  those  who  died  natural  deaths. 
"  The  troops  employed  in  this  expedition,  both  officers 
"  and  men,  throughout  the  whole  of  it,  and  in  the  action 
"  they  had  with  the  enemy,  manifested  a  patience,  per- 
"  severance  and  valor  that  do  them  the  highest  honor. 
"  In  the  course  of  it,  when  there  still  remained  a  large 
"  extent  of  the  enemy's  country  to  be  prostrated,  it 
"  became  necessary  to  lessen  the  issues  of  provisions  to 
"  half  the  usual  allowance.  In  this  the  troops  acquiesced 
"  with  a  most  general  and  cheerful  concurrence,  being 
"  fully  determined  to  surmount  every  obstacle,  and  to 
41  prosecute  the  enterprise  to  a  complete  and  successful 
•"  issue.  Maj.  Gen.  Sullivan,  for  his  great  perseverance 
"  and  activity,  for  his  order  of  march  and  attack,  and 
"  the  whole  of  his  dispositions ;  the  Brigadiers  and 
41  officers  of  all  ranks,  and  the  whole  of  the  soldiers 
"  engaged  in  the  expedition,  merit  and  have  the  Com- 
"  mander-in-chief's  warmest  acknowledgements  for  their 
41  important  services  upon  this  occasion." 


1 82  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign. 

On  the  Qth  of  November,  1779,  General  Sullivan  wrote 
to  the  President  of  Congress  :  "  It  is  with  the  deepest 
regret  I  find  myself  compelled  to  request  from  Congress 
liberty  to  retire  from  the  army.  My  health  is  so  much 
impaired  by  a  violent  bilious  disorder,  which  seized  me 
in  the  commencement  and  continued  during  the  whole 
ol  the  western  expedition,  that  I  have  not  the  smallest 
hope  of  a  perfect  recovery.  My  physicians  have  assured 
me  that  nothing  but  a  total  release  from  business,  and  a 
particular  attention  to  my  health,  can  restore  me;  and 
my  own  feelings  indicate  that  even  this  will  fall  far  short 
of  my  own  wishes  and  their  expectations." 

General  Washington  endeavored  to  dissuade  Sullivan 
from  thus  retiring,  but  seeing  that  "  matters  were  draw- 
ing to  a  happy  conclusion,"  he  persisted,  and  Congress 
accepted  his  resignation,  accompanying  the  acceptance, 
however,  with  renewed  thanks  for  his  meritorious  and 
patriotic  services. 

General  Sullivan,  in  transmitting  to  Congress  an  offi- 
cial account  of  his  operations,  reported  that  during  the 
campaign  forty  Indian  villages,  beside  many  scattering 
houses,  had  been  burned.  "  The  quantity  of  corn  de- 
stroyed, at  a  moderate  computation,  must  amount  to 
160,000  bushels,  with  a  vast  quantity  of  vegetables  of 
every  kind.  Every  creek  and  river  has  been  traced, 
and  the  whole  country  explored  in  search  of  Indian 
settlements,  and  I  am  well  persuaded  that,  except  one 
town  situated  near  the  Alleghany,  about  fifty-eight  miles 
from  Chinesee,  there  is  not  a  single  town  left  in  the 
country  of  the  Five  Nations.  *  *  *  I  flatter  myself 
that  the  orders  with  which  I  was  entrusted  are  fully 
executed,  as  we  have  not  left  a  single  settlement  or  field 
of  corn  in  the  country  of  the  Five  Nations,  or  is  there 
even  the  appearance  of  an  Indian  on  this  side  of  Niagara. 
Messengers  and  small  parties  have  been  constantly  pass- 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign,  183 

ing,  and  some  imprudent  soldiers  who  straggled  from 
the  army  mistook  the  route  and  went  back  almost  to 
Chinesee  without  discovering  even  the  track  of  an 
Indian." 

Sullivan  was  mistaken  in  regard  to  the  destruction  of 
all  the  Indian  towns  as  there  were  several  small  villages 
undiscovered  by  his  troops.  The  principal  villages,  how- 
ever, and  probably  nine-tenths  of  the  growing  crops, 
upon  which  the  Indians  had  depended  for  sustenance 
during  the  following  winter,  were  effectually  destroyed. 

The  march  through  the  enemy's  country  had  been 
attended  with  great  difficulties,  and  few  armies  have 
experienced  a  more  fatiguing  campaign.  Yet  the  Com- 
mander-in-chief was  able  to  report  that  he  had  not 
suffered  the  loss  of  forty  men  during  the  whole  time, 
and  he  said  that  he  "felt  much  indebted  to  the  officers 
of  every  rank  for  their  unparalleled  exertions,  and  to 
the  soldiers  for  the  unshaken  firmness  with  which  they 
endured  the  toils  and  difficulties  attending  the  expedi- 
tion." General  Sullivan  adds  that  "  it  would  have  been 
very  pleasing  to  the  army  to  have  drawn  the  enemy  to 
a  second  engagement,"  but  that  so  great  was  the  panic 
which  seized  the  Indians  after  the  Newtown  battle,  he 
found  it  impossible  to  do  so. 

The  Oneidas  asked  permission  of  General  Sullivan 
to  hunt  in  the  country  of  the  Five  Nations,  as  the  latter 
"would  never  think  of  settling  again  in  a  country  once 
subdued,  and  when  their  settlements  must  ever  be  in  our 
power."  The  request,  which  was  referred  to  Congress, 
serves  to  show  the  belief  generally  entertained  at  that 
time,  that  the  Iroquois  were  thoroughly  subdued,  and 
no  longer  to  be  feared.  Such  had  been  the  hope  which 
inspired  the  expedition,  and  now  that  its  work  had  been 
so  thoroughly  done,  the  frontier  settlers  believed  their 
homes  safe  from  any  further  molestation.  They  little 


184  History  of  Sullivan  s  'Campaign. 

knew  the  character  of  the  proud  and  unconquerable  Iro- 
quois.  The  Indian  had  been  beaten  in  one  campaign  ; 
he  had  been  driven  from  his  own  hunting  grounds,  and 
his  possessions  destroyed ;  he  was  now  a  homeless  wan- 
derer, subsisting  on  the  bounty  of  strangers ;  yet  his 
spirit  was  unbroken,  and  his  hand  as  ready  as  it  had 
ever  been  to  strike  a  blow  at  the  settlers.  Smarting 
under  the  chastisement  which  Sullivan  inflicted,  he 
thirsted  for  revenge,  and  the  following  summer  found 
him  again  on  the  war-path.  •  "  They  bent  a  tree,"  says 
one  writer,  "and  twisted  its  rugged  top  around  the 
trunk,  as  an  emblem  of  their  own  situation — bent  but 
not  broken — smitten  but  not  overthrown."  Thus  while 
Sullivan  fully  accomplished  the  task  given  him  to  per- 
form, the  results  expected  were  not  fully  realized.  The 
power  of  the  savages  had  been  weakened,  but  they  were 
not  entirely  subdued  until  years  afterward,  when  "  Mad 
Anthony  Wayne"  defeated  the  confederated  bands  of 
the  Indians  of  the  west,  in  1794,  a  measure  which  thor- 
oughly humbled  the  Indians  of  Western  New  York,  and 
gave  to  the  settlers  peace  and  security. 

Sullivan's  expedition  was  fruitful  of  great  results  in 
other  ways,  however,  than  the  temporary  subjugation  of 
the  Indians.  The  fertile  and  beautiful  country  now 
forming  the  western  part  of  the  State  of  New  York, 
was  then  an  unknown  wilderness,  and  its  value  and  at- 
tractiveness were  first  made  known  to  the  white  people 
through  this  expedition.  "  There  had  come  along  with 
Sullivan,"  says  Turner,  a  great  number  of  those  who 
were  looking  forward  to  the  time  when  the  war  should 
close,  and  opportunity  would  be  given  for  the  growth 
of  new  settlements.  "  They  passed  through  the  valleys  of 
the  Mohawk,  of  our  interior  lakes,  of  the  Susquehanna, 
delighted  at  every  step  with  the  beautiful  prospects  that 
surrounded  them,  until  arriving  at  the  valley  of  the  Gen- 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign.  185 

esee,  it  realized  their  highest  hopes  and  most  extravagant 
expectations.  They  returned  to  their  homes  to  mingle 
with  the  narratives  ot  an  Indian  war,  descriptions  of 
the  country  that  they  had  seen,  resolved  themselves  to 
retrace  their  steps  upon  the  more  peaceful  mission  of 
emigration  and  settlement ;  and  their  representations 
turned  the  attention  of  others  in  this  direction."  On 
their  way  they  recognized  the  extraordinary  fertility  of 
the  soil  in  this  new  country,  the  salubrity  of  its  climate, 
and  the  beauty  of  its  ever  changing  vistas  of  hills  and 
valleys  and  forest-bound  lakes.  Soon  after  the  close  of 
the  war  the  tide  of  emigration  commenced  to  flow  west- 
ward.  From  the  New  England  States,  Pennsylvania 
and  New  Jersey,  came  hardy  pioneers,  led  on  by  the 
glowing  accounts  they  had  heard  of  the  new  country, 
and  the  vicinity  of  the  inland  lakes,  the  borders  of  the 
flowing  streams,  the  forest-covered  hills  became  the 
dwelling  places  of  a  rapidly  growing  band  of  settlers. 
The  road  which  Sullivan  had  opened  from  the  Susque- 
hanna  valley  was  followed  by  many  of  the  settlers,  even 
to  the  banks  of  the  Genesee. 

Thus  many  of  those  who  had  shared  the  perils  and 
privations  of  Sullivan's  expedition  against  the  Indian 
tribes  of  Western  New  York,  afterward  became  settlers 
of  the  land  they  had  aided  to  conquer,  and  under  the 
hand  of  civilization  it  has  literally  become  one  of  the 
garden  spots  of  America,  where  nature  rewards  abund- 
antly the  labors  of  the  husbandman,  and  hundreds  of 
villages  and  cities  teem  with  busy  populations. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

SULLIVAN    UNJUSTLY   CRITICISED. 

FOR  his  course  in  three  particulars,  General  Sullivan 
has  been  sharply  criticised  by  his  contemporaries, 
as  well  as  by  those  of  a  later  period.  These  were,  his 
failure  to  advance  to  the  British  stronghold,  Fort  Niag- 
ara ;  his  practice  of  firing  morning  and  evening  guns, 
which  thus  kept  the  Indians  advised  of  his  movements; 
and  finally,  his  wanton  destruction  of  Indian  property, 
especially  the  fine  orchards  which  he  discovered  in  his 
march. 

It  may  be  urged  as  a  primary  reason  why  Sullivan 
did  not  push  his  conquest  to  the  very  walls  of  Fort 
Niagara,  that  he  had  no  express  orders  to  do  so.  He 
says  in  his  official  report  on  this  point,  that  "he  had  it 
not  in  command."  The  object  of  the  expedition,  as 
declared  by  Washington,  was  to  devastate  the  country 
of  the  Six  Nations,  and  in  his  letter  of  instructions  to 
Sullivan,  he  speaks  of  the  capture  of  Fort  Niagara  as  a 
contingent  event,  to  be  decided  on  together  with  other 
matters,  as  the  "future  events  of  the  campaign  unfold 
themselves."  But  even  had  Sullivan's  orders  included 
the  capture  of  the  British  fort,  it  is  clear  that  the  cir- 
cumstances of  the  case  would  have  compelled  him  to 
exercise  that  degree  of  discretionary  power  conceded 
to  every  military  officer,  by  returning  as  he  did  after 
reaching  the  Genesee,  instead  of  pressing  forward.  For 
a  period  of  over  two  weeks  his  soldiers  had  been  sub- 
sisting on  half  rations,  and  even  with  sparing  use,  the 
stores  had  become  greatly  reduced.  To  have  gone  on 
through  an  unknown  wilderness  with  such  scanty  stores 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign.  187 

that  but  a  few  days  would  be  sufficient  to  exhaust  them, 
would  have  been  sheer  madness.  It  has  been  suggested 
that  the  soldiers  might  have  subsisted  on  a  portion  of 
the  Indian  stores  which  they  destroyed.  As  these  con- 
sisted either  of  vegetables,  which  were  largely  of  a 
perishable  nature,  or  of  corn,  which  the  effort  to  eat  had 
already  caused  considerable  distress  and  disease  among 
the  men,  it  will  be  seen  that  this  expedient  was  out  of 
the  question.  Again,  the  season  was  far  advanced,  and 
had  Niagara  been  reached,  the  amount  of  provisions 
secured  by  conquest  would  have  been  wholly  inadequate 
to  support  both  the  conquerors  and  the  conquered.  In 
that  event,  General  Sullivan  would  have  been  compelled 
to  care  for  his  own  forces,  and  inhumanly  allow  the 
British  and  Indians  to  starve  ;  or,  with  a  rigorous  winter 
just  before  him,  have  set  out  upon  the  return  march  of 
hundreds  of  miles,  with  stores  barely  sufficient  to  keep 
his  soldiers  from  starving.  Under  these  circumstances, 
Sullivan  would  have  been  justified  in  the  course  he  took, 
even  had  his  orders  been  to  continue  the  march  to  the 
Niagara  frontier.  That  it  was  through  no  lack  of  cour- 
age that  he  did  not  press  on  is  shown  by  his  letter  to 
Congress,  in  which  he  declares  that  he  would  have  gone 
on  to  Niagara  if  he  had  been  supplied  with  fifteen  days' 
rations  in  addition  to  what  he  had,  and  expresses  his 
conviction  that  "from  the  bravery  and  ardor  of  our 
troops,"  Fort  Niagara  would  have  fallen  into  our  hands. 
As  a  second  count  in  the  indictment  of  General  Sulli- 
van, it  is  said,  that,  by  firing  his  morning  and  evening 
guns  he  kept  the  Indians  constantly  advised  of  his  pres- 
ence and  movements,  who  were  thus  able  to  avoid  him. 
It  seems  to  be  forgotten  that  long  before  the  army  left 
Tioga  the  enemy  had  learned  the  object  of  the  expedi- 
tion, and  made  its  preparations  accordingly.  Sullivan 
would  have  found  great  difficulty  in  surprising  and  cap- 


1 88  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign. 

turing  any  portion  of  the  enemy  while  they  possessed 
this  knowledge  of  his  purpose,  even  had  he  moved 
with  all  the  secrecy  possible.  His  movements  were 
constantly  watched  by  the  savage  scouts,  who,  though 
unseen,  were  ever  on  the  alert  to  discover  his  designs 
and  warn  their  dusky  companions  in  time  to  make 
good  their  escape.  After  leaving  Newtown  it  was  im- 
possible to  come  up  with  the  enemy  or  draw  them  into 
an  engagement.  Thus,  Sullivan  was  unable  to  reach 
those  whom  he  desired  to  punish,  and  would  have  found, 
had  he  come  upon  the  Indian  villages  unawares,  only 
the  old  men,  the  women  and  the  children.  "  Humanity 
dictated  the  fore-warning  that  those  he  did  not  come  to 
war  against  could  have  time  to  flee.  It  would  have  been 
a  far  darker  feature  of  the  campaign  than  those  that  have 
been  complained  of,  and  one  that  could  not  have  been 
mitigated,  if  old  men,  women  and  children,  had  been 
unalarmed,  and  exposed  to  the  vengeance  of  those  who 
came  from  the  valleys  of  the  Susquehanna  and  the  Mo- 
hawk to  punish  murderers  of  their  kindred  and  neigh- 
bors." Another  purpose  served  in  thus  firing  the  large 
guns  was  to  impress  the  Indians  with  a  sense  of  the 
power  of  the  advancing  force,  and  to  fill  them  with 
terror.  The  same  device  had  been  used  years  before, 
and  it  would  seem  to  have  been  a  favorite  mode  of 
spreading  consternation  among  the  untutored  savages. 
The  terror  and  despair  of  the  Indian  women  on  the 
Genesee,  when  they  heard  these  big  guns  has  already 
been  noted.  Doubtless  this  was  the  case  throughout 
the  march. 

The  third  point  against  General  Sullivan  is  as  uncalled 
for  as  those  just  noticed.  In  destroying  the  villages, 
cultivated  fields  and  extensive  orchards  in  the  Indian 
country,  he  was  simply  executing  the  orders  of  his  com- 
manding officer.  These  left  him  no  discretion,  but 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign.  189 

expressly  directed  that  he  should  lay  waste  the  Indian 
country  and  drive  its  inhabitants  to  seek  shelter  and 
protection  of  their  English  allies.  Doubtless  the  des- 
truction of  these  villages  and  orchards  seems  to  many 
wanton  and  useless,  but  it  should  be  remembered  that  in 
war,  acts  seemingly  the  most  cruel  are  often  in  fact  the 
kindest ;  that  prompt,  decisive  action,  though  accom- 
panied by  waste  and  bloodshed,  may  prove  the  very 
means  of  preventing  further  strife,  and  restore  peace 
and  safety  to  communities.  In  this  particular  case  the 
chief  aim  of  the  campaign  was  to  destroy  the  crops  and 
orchards  of  the  Six  Nations,  that  they  might  be  -deprived 
of  the  means,  during  the  following  autumn  and  winter, 
of  troubling  the  frontiers.  The  authorities  also  aimed 
at  such  a  demonstration  of  the  power  and  spirit  of  the 
Colonies,  that  the  Indians  would  no  longer  think  they 
could  carry  on  their  cruel  warfare  against  the  unpro- 
tected frontiers  with  impunity.  They  had  been  led  by 
the  British  authorities  to  think  the  Colonies  were  so 
poor  and  weak  that  they  were  powerless  to  punish  their 
savage  foes,  and  thus  thinking,  the  Indians  had  become 
bold,  insolent  and  defiant  to  the  last  degree.  The  duty 
of  humbling  them  had  become  imperative,  and  the 
means  adopted  were  not  only  such  as  the  usages  of 
modern  warfare  sanction,  but  such  only  as  were  feasible 
or  gave  reasonable  promise  of  success.  A  recent  writer, 
in  considering  this  subject,  has  said:  "  Much  has  been 
said  in  censure  of  the  expedition,  on  the  score  of  human- 
ity. Retaliation,  prompt  and  decisive,  has  ever  proved 
a  stern  necessity  in  dealing  with  savage  tribes, — the  only 
method  of  staying  their  brutalities.  In  carrying  out 
that  policy  in  this  campaign,  the  aim  was  to  strike  a 
salutary  terror,  without  unnecessary  destruction  of  life. 
Few  Indians  were  slain,  except  at  the  battle  of  Newtown. 
Unreasoning  sensitiveness  may  be  shocked  at  the 


190  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign. 

approach,  in  a  Christian  nation,  to  savage  warfare,  even 
with  a  savage  foe.  But  what  the  best  men  of  the  country, 
who  knew  well  the  Indian  character,  deemed  justifiable 
and  expedient,  needs  little  apology." 

Another  fact,  having  an  important  bearing  on  this 
question,  is  that  the  Indians  of  the  Genesee  country  were 
not  only  raising  supplies  for  themselves,  to  be  used  while 
engaged  in  their  border  warfare,  but  were  also  supplying 
the  needs  of  the  British  troops  at  Niagara.  The  Genesee 
valley  was  the  granary  whence  the  British  authorities 
drew  an  important  part  of  their  provisions,  and  during 
the  year -1779  unusual  pains  were  taken  to  augment  these 
supplies,  that  the  allied  forces  of  the  British  and  Indians 
might  be  amply  provided  for  while  engaged  in  active 
operations  in  the  field.  The  blow  struck  at  the  Iroquois 
was  therefore  scarcely  less  a  blow  at  the  British  them- 
selves, and  its  results  were  nearly  as  disastrous  to  the 
latter  as  to  their  savage  allies. 

The  same  writer  whom  we  have  before  quoted  says : 
"  However  reluctant  Washington  and  Sullivan — both 
more  than  ordinarily  generous  and  humane — may  have 
been  to  inflict  such  wide-spread  devastation,  public  duty 
demanded  it ;  and  Sullivan  had  no  alternative  but  to 
carry  out  his  instructions,  and  obey  the  orders  of  Con- 
gress." It  is  a  notable  fact  that  while  Sullivan  was 
unjustly  censured  for  laying  waste  the  Indian  country, 
such  was  his  love  and  veneration  for  the  Commander-in- 
chief  that  he  never  sought  to  justify  himself  by  quoting 
Washington's  orders,  which  would  have  been  a  complete 
defence,  but  was  content  to  rest  under  unjust  condem- 
nation rather  than  bring  criticism  or  reproach  on  his 
beloved  commander. 

This  subject  calls  into  question  the  abilities  of  General 
Sullivan  as  a  military  officer.  It  will  not  be  irrelevant, 
therefore  to  quote  the  words  of  an  eminent  foreigner 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign.  191 

who,  when  writing  of  this  campaign,  said  that  "  the 
instructions  given  by  General  Sullivan  to  his  officers, 
the  order  of  march  he  prescribed,  and  discipline  he  had 
the  ability  to  maintain,  would  have  done  honor  to  the 
most  experienced  ancient  or  modern  generals."  Another 
authority  says  :  "  Sullivan  was  said  to  have  always  the 
best  intelligence  of  any  in  the  army.  His  instructions 
for  special  or  partisan  service  are  minute  and  sensible. 
His  marches  were  well  arranged  and  expeditious,  and, 
on  several  occasions,  at  night ;  and,  although  through  a 
strange  country,  they  were  without  the  least  confusion. 
#  *  *  From  the  outset  of  the  Revolution,  Sullivan 
took  pains  to  fit  himself  for  its  exigencies.  He  purchased 
a  valuable  collection  of  military  works,  and  studied  them 
until  they,  unfortunately,  were  captured." 

Such  is  the  judgment  of  unbiased  contemporaries,  as 
well  as  that  reached  after  patient  research  by  modern 
students  of  history,  concerning  Sullivan  and  his  achieve- 
ments. His  rank  as  an  able  military  officer  is  fully 
acknowledged,  his  faithfulness  in  carrying  out  the  in- 
structions of  his  superiors  shown  to  have  won  unqualified 
approval,  and  the  results  achieved  are  proved  to  have 
been  all  that  could  have  been  reasonably  expected.  With 
this  array  of  testimony  to  vindicate  him,  therefore,  can- 
dor should  compel  the  admission  that  the  ground  taken 
by  those  who  have  seen  fit  to  criticise  Sullivan's  conduct 
of  the  Indian  expedition  is  untenable,  and  that  in  all 
respects  he  is  entitled  to  praise,  not  censure. 


APPENDIX. 
BRODHEAD'S  EXPEDITION. 

MENTION  has  already  been  made  of  Colonel  Brodhead's 
expedition  from  Fort  Pitt  against  the  hostile  Indian 
tribes.  It  was  the  original  intention  that  he  should  make 
a  junction  with  Sullivan's  army  near  the  Genesee,  but  for 
some  unknown  cause,  this  was  not  done.  The  service 
performed  by  Colonel  Brodhead  is  thus  referred  to  by 
General  Washington : 

'•'•Extract  from  General  Orders. 

"  HEAD  QUARTERS,  MORE'S  HOUSE,  ) 

"October  i8th,  1779.  j 

"  The  Commander-in-Chief  is  happy  in  the  opportunity 
"  of  congratulating  the  army  on  our  further  success,  by 
"  advices  just  arrived.  Col.  Brodhead,  with  the  Conti- 
"  nental  troops  under  his  command,  and  a  body  of  militia 
"  and  volunteers,  has  penetrated  about  one  hundred  and 
"  eighty  miles  into  the  Indian  country,  on  the  Allegany 
"  river,  burnt  ten  of  the  Muncey  and  Seneca  towns  in 
"  that  quarter,  containing  one  hundred  and  sixty-five 
"  houses :  destroyed  all  their  fields  of  corn,  computed  to 
"  comprehend  five  hundred  acres,  besides  large  quantities 
"  of  vegetables  ;  obliging  the  Savages  to  flee  before  him 
"  with  the  greatest  precipitation,  and  to  leave  behind 
"  them  many  skins  and  other  articles  of  value.  The  only 
"  opposition  the  Savages  ventured  to  give  our  troops,  on 
"  this  occasion,  was  near  Cuskusking.  About  forty  of 
"  their  warriors,  on  their  way  to  commit  barbarity  on 
"  our  frontier  settlers,  were  met  here.  Lieut.  Harden, 
"  of  the  8th  Pennsylvania  regiment,  at  the  head  of  one  of 
"  our  advance  parties,  composed  of  thirteen  men,  of 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign.  193 

"  whom  eight  were  of  our  friends  the  Delaware  nation, 
"  who  immediately  attacked  the  Savages  and  put  them 
"  to  the  rout,  with  the  loss  of  five  killed  on  the  spot,  and 
"  of  all  their  canoes,  blankets,  shirts,  and  provisions,  of 
"  which,  as  is  usual  for  them  when  going  into  action, 
"  they  had  divested  themselves,  and  also  of  several  arms. 
"  Two  of  our  men  and  one  of  our  Indian  friends  were 
"  very  slightly  wounded  in  the  action,  which  was  all  the 
"  damage  we  sustained  in  the  whole  enterprise. 

"  The  activity,  perseverance,  and  firmness,  which 
"  marked  the  conduct  of  Col.  Brodhead,  and  that  of  all 
"  the  officers  and  men,  of  every  description,  in  this  expe- 
"  dition,  do  them  great  honor,  and  their  services  justly 
"  entitle  them  to  the  thanks,  and  to  this  testimonial  of 
"  the  General's  acknowledgment." 

In  a  letter  dated  "West  Point,  2oth  October,  1779," 
addressed  to  the  Marquis  de  Lafayette,  Gen.  Washington 
incidentially  alludes  to  these  two  campaigns,  and  their 
probable  effects  upon  the  Indians.  He  informs  Gen. 
Lafayette,  as  news  that  may  be  interesting  to  him,  that — 

"  Gen.  Sullivan  has  completed  the  entire  destruction 
"  of  the  country  of  the  Six  Nations ;  driven  all  their  in- 
"  habitants,  men,  women  and  children,  out  of  it;  and  is  at 
"  Easton  on  his  return  to  join  this  army,  with  the  troops 
"  under  his  command.  He  performed  this  service  with- 
"  out  losing  forty  men,  either  by  the  enemy  or  by  sick- 
"  ness.  While  the  Six  Nations  were  under  this  rod  of 
"  correction,  the  Mingo  and  Muncey  tribes,  living  on  the 
"  Allegany,  French  creek,  and  other  waters  of  the  Ohio, 
"  above  Fort  Pitt,  met  with  similar  chastisement  from 
"  Col.  Brodhead,  who,  with  six  hundred  men,  advanced 
"upon  them  at  the  same  instant,  and  laid  waste  their 
"  country.  These  unexpected  and  severe  strokes  have 
"  disconcerted,  humbled,  and  distressed  the  Indians  ex- 
"  ceedingly,  and  will,  I  am  persuaded,  be  productive  oi 
"  great  good,  as  they  are  undeniable  proofs  to  them  that 


1 94  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign. 

"  Great  Britain  cannot  protect  them,  and  that  it  is  in  our 
"  power  to  chastise  them  whenever  their  hostile  conduct 
"  deserves  it." 

TABLE   OF   DISTANCES. 

The  reader  will  remember  that  Sullivan  was  accom- 
panied on  this  expedition  by  two  civil  engineers,  Thomas 
Machin  and  Mr.  Lodge.  Aided  by  the  engineer  corps, 
these  men  chained  every  mile  of  the  distance  from  East- 
on,  Pa.,  to  the  Genesee  river,  and  the  data  and  maps 
prepared  by  them  have  aided  very  materially  in  tracing 
the  route  of  the  army  and  the  situation  of  the  Indian 
villages.  Among  Captain  Machin's  papers,  the  following 
table  of  distances  was  found,  accompanying  a  map  of 
the  route.  It  will  be  found  that  the  names  of  places  as 
here  given  correspond  with  those  in  the  text,  except  that 
of  Adjusta,  which  appears  in  the  text  as  Kanaghsaws. 

"  Distances  of  places  from  Easton,  Pennsylvania  to 
Chenesee  Castle,  taken  in  1779,  by  actual  survey: 

NAMES  OF   PLACES.  MILES.  TOTAL. 

From  Easton  to  Weomining,       -  -     65  65 

To  Lackewaneck  Creek,  -  10  75 

Quailuterunk,  -       7  82 

Tunkhannunk  Creek,  .  u  93 

Meshohing  Creek,  -      9  102 

Vanderlips  Plantation,      -  5  107 

Wealusking  Town,  -       8  115 
Wessawkin,  or  Pine  Creek,       -                  14^ 

Tioga,    -  .    1$#  145 

Chemung,  -  12  157 

Newtown,      -  -       8^ 
French  Catherinestown,    -  18 

Kandia  or  Appleton,     -  -     27^  211 

Outlet  of  Seneca  Lake,     -  \\y2  222^ 

Kanadesaga,  or  Seneca  Castle,    -        -      3^  226 

Kanandaque,      -  15^  24l/4 

Haunyauya,  -  -     13^  255 

Adjusta,     -  12*4  267 'l/2 

Cossauwauloughly,       -  -       7  274^ 

Chenesee  Castle,       -        -        -        -          5^  280 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign.  195 

A    PROTEST   FROM    SULLIVAN. 

The  delay  in  furnishing  General  Sullivan  with  men 
and  provisions  for  this  expedition,  drew  from  him  some 
spirited  protests.  Unjustly  criticised  in  other  cam- 
paigns, those  who  were  unfriendly  to  him  again  improved 
the  opportunity  afforded  by  these  delays  to  hold  him 
responsible  for  them,  and  thus  place  him  in  a  false 
position.  He  deeply  felt  the  injustice  of  this  course,  and 
to  vindicate  himself,  as  well  as  to  forward  the  prepar- 
ations for  the  campaign,  he  wrote  to  Congress  from 
Wyoming,  July  2ist,  as  follows: 

"  I  have  hitherto  delayed  troubling  Congress,  in  the 
hope  that  I  should  have  been  able  before  this  to  have 
given  them  more  favorable  accounts  from  this  quarter. 
My  duty  to  the  public,  and  regard  to  my  own  reputation, 
compel  me  to  state  the  reasons  why  this  army  has  been 
so  long  delayed  here,  without  advancing  into  the  enemy's 
country.  In  April  last,  it  was  agreed  that  the  army 
should  be  put  in  motion  the  I5th  of  May,  and  rendezvous 
at  Easton  on  the  2oth,  to  proceed  immediately  on  the 
expedition.  The  necessary  preparations  were  to  be 
made  in  the  quartermaster  and  commissary  departments, 
that  no  delay  might  take  place ;  success  in  a  great  meas- 
ure depending  on  secrecy  and  despatch.  I  immediately 
detached  parties  to  clear  a  road  from  Easton  to  Wyom- 
ing, which  was  done  in  season,  and  might  have  been 
done  sooner,  had  not  the  backwardness  of  affairs  in  other 
quarters  obliged  me  to  hold  a  great  part  of  the  army  at 
Easton,  to  prevent  the  unnecessary  consumption  of 
stores  destined  for  the  expedition. 

The  plan  for  carrying  on  the  expedition  was  not  agree- 
able to  my  mind ;  nor  was  the  number  of  men  destined 
for  it  sufficient,  in  my  opinion,  to  insure  success.  This 
Congress  will  see  by  the  inclosed  copies  of  my  letters  to 
General  Washington,  Nos.  i  and  2,  which  eventually 


196  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign. 

had  no  other  effect  than  to  alter  the  route  of  General 
Clinton's  detachment  from  the  Mohawk  to  the  Susque- 
hanna.  I  had,  early  in  April,  received,  from  the  heads 
of  the  quartermaster  and  commissary  departments,  assur- 
ances that  every  thing-  should  be  in  a  perfect  state  of 
readiness  upon  my  arrival  at  this  post.  But,  on  my 
arrival  at  Easton,  I  was  informed  by  General  Hand,  who 
then  commanded  here,  that  there  was  not  the  least  pros- 
pect of  the  boats  or  stores  being  in  readiness  in  season  ; 
upon  which  I  halted  the  army  at  Easton,  sending  forward 
only  such  corps  as  were  necessary  to  defend  this  post 
and  assist  in  forwarding  the  stores. 

When  I  felt  encouraged  by  the  flattering  accounts  that 
were  sent  me,  I  came  to  this  place,  and  here  have  re- 
mained without  its  being  in  my  power  to  advance  toward 
the  enemy.  To  prove  this  clearly  to  Congress,  I  inclose 
a  return  of  provisions,  made  me  in  April,  which  were 
said  to  be  deposited  on  the  Susquehanna,  and  would  be 
at  Kelso's  Ferry  so  as  to  be  transported  here  by  the  time 
specified.  The  notes  at  the  bottom  of  the  return  will 
show  what  we  now  have  on  hand,  and  of  what  quality. 
Nearly  one-half  the  flour,  and  more  than  two-thirds  of 
the  live  stock  mentioned,  I  have  caused  to  be  procured 
from  Easton,  fearing  to  meet  with  those  disappointments 
I  have  too  often  experienced.  The  inspector  is  now  on 
the  ground,  by  order  of  the  Board  of  War,  inspecting 
the  provisions ;  and  his  regard  to  truth  must  oblige  him, 
on  his  return,  to  report  that,  of  the  salted  meat  on  hand, 
there  is  not  a  single  pound  fit  to  be  eaten,  even  at  this 
day,  though  every  measure  has  been  taken  to  preserve 
it  that  possibly  could  be  devised.  I  also  inclose  a  list  of 
articles  in  the  quartermaster's  department  which  were 
to  have  been  procured,  with  notes  thereon  of  what  have 
been  received.  Upon  examining  these  returns,  Congress 
will  be  at  no  loss  to  account  for  the  delay  of  this  army. 


History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign,  197 

I  requested  Commissary  Elaine  to  forward  a  thousand 
head  of  cattle ;  some  few  more  than  two  hundred  arrived; 
and  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  more  sent  to  Sunbury 
were  left  there,  being  too  poor  to  walk,  and  many  of 
them  unable  to  stand.  Three  hundred  of  our  horses 
came  in  with  Colonel  Copperthwait  on  the  2oth  inst.;  but 
there  is  not  a  sufficiency  of  them,  and  no  pack-saddles 
for  one-half  we  have. 

I  inclose  a  letter  from  Major  Clayburn,  of  the  I9th  of 
May,  to  show  that  the  boats  were  then  unbuilt  which 
were  to  have  brought  the  provisions  to  this  post  by  the 
2oth;  and  to  show  that  the  first  boats,  upon  presumption 
that  others  would  be  procured,  were  ordered  not  to 
return  ;  but  the  small  number  procured  has  occasioned 
them  to  be  sent  down  the  river  four  times  since.  The 
other  copies  of  letters,  numbered  from  5  to  10  inclusively, 
will  show  the  steps  which  have  been  taken  to  procure 
provisions,  point  out  the  deficiencies,  and  explain  the 
mortifying  necessity  I  have  been  under  of  remaining  in 
a  state  of  inactivity  at  this  post.  They  will  show  that 
we  are  now  bringing  on  pack-horses,  from  Carlisle,  flour 
destined  for  the  use  of  this  army,  which  ought  to  have 
been  here  the  2Oth  of  May  last.  I  beg  leave  to  assure 
Congress  that  .these  deficiencies  did  not  arise  from  want 
of  proper  and  repeated  application,  nor  has  a  single  step 
been  left  untried,  which  was  possible  for  me,  or  the  army 
under  my  command,  to  take,  for  procuring  and  forward- 
ing supplies.  Having  been  taught  by  repeated  disap- 
pointments to  be  cautious,  I  early  gave  orders  to  General 
Clinton  to  supply  his  troops  with  three  months'  provis- 
ions, and  wrote  to  Governor  Clinton  for  his  assistance 
in  April  last.  This  has  been  done,  and  they  are  supplied. 
I  have  procured  provision  from  Easton  and  other  places, 
which,  with  what  is  now  on  its  way  from  Sunbury,  to  be 
here  on  Sunday,  will  enable  us  to  move  the  beginning  of 
next  week. 


198  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign. 

To  avoid  censure  in  case  of  misfortune,  I  beg  Congress 
to  recur  to  the  reasonings  in  my  letters  to  General 
Washington,  respecting  the  numbers  necessary  to  insure 
success,  and  then  to  examine  the  inclosed  return  of  the 
forces  here.  They  now  stand  at  two  thousand  three 
hundred  and  twelve,  rank  and  file.  General  Washington, 
in  consequence  of  my  letters,  wrote  the  Executive  Coun- 
cil of  Pennsylvania  for  rangers  and  riflemen.  They 
engaged  seven  hundred  and  twenty,  and  the  President 
frequently  wrote  me  that  they  would  be  ready  in  season. 
Not  a  man  of  them  has  joined  us,  nor  are  any  about  to 
do  it.  The  reason  assigned  by  them  is,  that  the  quarter- 
master gave  such  extravagant  prices  to  boatmen,  that 
they  all  enlisted  into  the  boat  service ;  but  this  is 
evidently  a  mistake,  for  we  have  not  a  hundred  boatmen 
engaged  for  the  army,  and  but  forty-two  pack-horsemen, 
so  that  I  must  draft  near  nine  hundred  for  boatmen  and 
pack-horsemen.  This  will  reduce  my  numbers  to  four- 
teen hundred  and  twelve ;  then  I  must  deduct  for  drivers 
of  cattle  and  for  the  artillery  one  hundred  and  fifty,  for 
the  garrison  one  hundred,  which  leaves  me  eleven  hun- 
dred and  sixty-two ;  from  these,  I  deduct  the  officers' 
waiters  and  managers  of  battery-horses,  two  hundred 
and  twenty-four;  this  reduces  me  to  nine  hundred  and 
thirty-eight,  and  more  than  a  third  of  them  without  a 
shirt  to  their  backs. 

This  is  the  force  with  which  I  am  to  advance  against 
an  enemy  allowed  to  be  two  thousand  strong,  and  who 
have  certainly  been  lately  reinforced  with  seven  hundred 
British  troops  from  Canada.  I  need  not  mention,  that 
it  is  easy  for  the  enemy  to  act  with  their  whole  force 
against  either  part  of  our  army  before  the  junction  is 
formed,  and  that  common  prudence  will  prompt  to  this. 
I  have  therefore  nothing  to  rely  on  but  the  ardor  and 
well-known  bravery  of  my  troops,  which  I  trust  will 


w 

History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign.  199 

surmount  all  opposition.  But  should  a  defeat  take  place, 
and  the  ruin  of  the  army  be  the  consequence,  whether  I 
do  or  do  riot  perish  in  the  action,  I  call  upon  the  mem- 
bers of  Congress  to  witness  to  the  world,  that  I  early 
foresaw  and  foretold  the  danger,  and  used  every  means 
in  my  power  to  procure  a  force  sufficient  to  insure  suc- 
cess, but  failed  to  obtain  it." 

EXPLANATION   OF   THE   MAP. 

The  map  which  follows  shows  the  route  followed  by 
Sullivan's  army  from  Tioga  (now  Athens,  Pa.),  north- 
ward. The  reader  will  remember  that  Clinton's  division 
effected  a  junction  with  General  Sullivan  at  that  point, 
and  the  united  forces  moved  together  from  Tioga,  up 
the  Tioga  or  Chemung  river,  to  what  is  now  Elmira. 
The  further  movements  of  the  army  were  in  that  portion 
of  Western  New  York  shown  on  the  map.  The  heavy 
line  shows  the  route  of  the  main  army  ;  the  lighter  lines 
the  courses'  of  the  detached  expeditions  (on  the  return 
march)  of  Colonel  Butler,  Colonel  Dearborn  and  Colonel 
Smith,  which  left  the  main  body  at  Kanadesaga  and  pro- 
ceeded up  the  west  side  of  Seneca  lake  and  both  sides 
of  Cayuga  lake.  The  course  of  Colonel  Spaulding  is 
also  shown,  who  marched  from  Kanawlohalla  (Elmira), 
after  the  army  reached  that  point  on  its  return,  and 
destroyed  Painted  Post  and  Knacto. 

It  has  not  been  thought  necessary  to  show  on  the  map 
the  route  from  Easton  to  Wyoming,  and  thence  to  Tioga. 
From  Wyoming  the  route  followed  the  Susquehanna  to 
its  confluence  with  the  Tioga,  and  the  reader  can  readily 
trace  it  on  any  good  map  of  Pennsylvania. 

Doubtless  it  would  have  been  gratifying  to  some  per- 
sons if  this  map  showed  ever}'  detail  of  the  route,  even 
so  minutely  as  to  name  every  farm  through  which  it  lay. 
Such  a  map,  however,  would  have  been  too  large  for  the 


2OO  History  of  Sullivan  s  Campaign. 

present  purpose,  even  if  the  author  possessed  the  ability 
to  make  it,  which  he  does  not ;  but  he  has  the  pleasure 
of  stating  that  such  a  map  is  in  the  course  'of  prepara- 
tion by  General  John  S.  Clark,  of  Auburn,  N.  Y.,  who 
has  made  careful  surveys  of  the  entire  route,  and  is 
sparing  no  pains  to  make  it  accurate  in  all  its  details. 
When  given  to  the  public,  as  doubtless  it  soon  will  be,  it 
will  prove  a  valuable  contribution  to  our  store  of  histori- 
cal materials. 


•ksl- 


SULLIVAN'S  CAMPAIGN-ROUT: 

Xhotring  tlif  country  traversed  north  of  At 


OF  THE  ARMY. 

s  (Tioga),  l*a. 


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